


Symphony No. 10

by Seclina_Lunica



Category: Classicaloid (Anime)
Genre: Dating, Deaf, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Injury, Long Shot, Maybe - Freeform, Music, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-11
Updated: 2019-08-21
Packaged: 2019-11-15 11:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 44,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18072599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Seclina_Lunica/pseuds/Seclina_Lunica
Summary: Beethoven has had a major crush on Kanae for the past three years, and now that she is no longer a minor and student, he has yet to ask her out. He is hesitant, but when a major part of his past life creeps into the new, he is forced to make a decision of whether he should take the chance before it's too late.This is Beethoven x Kanae and I'll ship this pairing like Fed Ex until the day I die.





	1. The Past: Part 1

Beethoven peeled open his eyelids as the sun’s rays directly shone upon them.  Almost immediately, the reincarnated composer felt within his bones that something was wrong. Beethoven thought to himself as he pulled the bed covers close to his chest:

 _“What’s going on? Today…it doesn’t feel right, and I haven’t even gotten out of bed.”_ Beethoven peered at daylight through the nearest window _. “Is it the sun?”_ He then looked away. _“No, it can’t be. The sun is fine – everything is fine – everything is just as it should be…right?”_

Later in the kitchen, Beethoven was endlessly counting coffee beans; he wasn’t quite at sixty yet, but nonetheless, it was a perfect start to a normal day. Beethoven counted in his head, _“38…39…40…”_ Then, his train of thought drifted, _“I don’t get it. Everything is normal, but yet, I have this uneasy feeling stuck in my gut. GAH! I don’t think I’ll be able to last much longer if I cannot figure out what the cause of this uneasiness is!”_ Still briefly tormented, Beethoven looked around the vicinity, and discovered his personal frying pan, sitting dirty in the kitchen sink. There was a sticky note on it saying _: **Clean it. I’m not your maid.**_

Beethoven thought, _“Hmmm…Maybe if I cook some Gyoza.”_

And without a second thought, he did. The gyoza sizzled nicely in the frying pan. After three years, he was getting better at cooking. He would cook a variety of dishes now, not just gyoza. He found that he didn’t need a flamethrower or other wacky inventions to cook a masterpiece; only a light flame on a barbeque or stovetop was enough.

Beethoven stared at his creation intently. The uneasiness was still there. Something wasn’t right, but he couldn’t place his finger on what was causing this personal dilemma. He thought, _“I don’t get it. The color of the gyoza is just right, it’s cooked to perfection, and the flavour is faultless…but there’s still something amiss, something wrong.”_ Then, he noticed that the sound of the satisfying crackle from the frying pan was absent. _“Aha! That’s surely the problem! The heat is not on high enough! The staccato that compliments the gyoza is not there! We must make our masterpiece sing!”_ Switching into panic mode, Beethoven quickly turned up the heat. The crackle and popping sounds coming from the frying pan were now crystal clear, but unfortunately, the high temperatures eventually reduced the once perfect gyoza to nothing, but ashes. Beethoven even had to admit to himself that the dish was currently inedible.

Ten minutes later, Beethoven had accepted his fate in the kitchen. He left the kitchen itself dirty and fled without one piece of gyoza in hand. He never did make that single cup of coffee either; so instead, he stuffed his hands into his jean pockets as he journeyed towards the living room. _“I wonder what time it is? I’m surprised that Wolf hasn’t made a ruckus yet. He’d better not ruin the walls and décor without me. No, it’s quiet. Too quiet. Everyone is probably still asleep.”_

Beethoven then entered the living room and laid his aqua eyes upon the grand piano in the corner. The piano was sort of new. Their landlady had too many debts to pay to even consider investing in that kind of instrument, but eventually some mysterious money rolled in, and she was able to purchase the piano only for the sakes of her tenants, who were constantly moaning and groaning, desperate to make their own music. Although it was complicated and still hard to grasp onto the concept of the ClassicaLoids, there was no denying that they were all composers and musicians, reborn into the 21st century with the memories of their past lives; yes, they were very much themselves.

Like the rest of the ClassicaLoids, Beethoven had the constant urge to not only create/use musik, but also music. He was a composer by trade, and it ran in his blood that he should compose new pieces that he would happily display in this new world that was still very fresh and overbearing. He even surprised himself that he had managed to grasp onto current technology without a hitch, but at the end of the day, it was still a culture shock. If technology wasn’t an obvious example, then let’s take a quick look at traditions and language. He was German, yet he spoke Japanese, ate Japanese and followed Japanese traditions. It was odd, but it was how he was born into this new world.

Beethoven stood mere inches from the piano, and followed the mess that littered the coffee tables beside it; loose sheets of paper and pens were strewn in various places and directions. He grasped the nearest piece of parchment, and read through his mediocre theory. Just by looking at the composition, it was obvious that he was rusty, but he knew that with time, he would eventually get better. In this new world, he may never be considered a genius again, but as long as everything he created was done with a fiery passion that he was commonly known for, he would be satisfied.

Beethoven grasped some unfinished work, along with a pen. He sat firm at the piano, preparing to resume doing what he did best. He chuckled deep within his throat, thoroughly excited to see what he could create today without the help of musik. Beethoven then remembered that he had to warm up, but what should he play? _“You know, I think I’ll play moonlight sonata, but the second movement. That should be nice. I haven’t played that one in a long time.”_ Then, Beethoven placed his hands onto the keyboard and began playing the first measure…”

But the gorgeous sounds that should usually come straight from the instrument ceased to exist. He had played a bar, there was no doubt about it, but it was as if the piano had suddenly gone mute. –

Beethoven gasped. His mouth was agape and his eyes were as wide as saucers. He was frozen, and could barely form words in his mind let alone his own tongue. _“Oh no,”_ he thought, _“This can’t be happening.”_ He tried talking to himself, and played another bar, but the result remained the same. Silence. Darkness. Beethoven bit his bottom lip. He balled his hands into fists and squeezed until his knuckles turned white. _“This can’t be happening! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!”_ He grasped his white, shaggy hair, pulled and yelled in frustration. His booming voice now only a harsh whisper. _“THIS ISN’T SUPPOSED TO BE MY FATE!! THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE MY SECOND CHANCE! THIS CANNOT BE HAPPENING!! THIS IS ALL A DREAM! IT HAS TO BE!”_

_Chapter 2 is next..._


	2. The Past: Part 2

Beethoven stared at his brunch consisting of sunny side eggs, bacon and toast. It had been at least ten minutes and yet the plate remained untouched. Under normal circumstances – he enjoyed brunch – and would have devoured it within minutes. Shortly after – like clockwork – Kanae would’ve watched from afar in an unamused manner and ask the man whether he even tasted it. But today, he wasn’t hungry. I mean, would you be hungry if the only thing that crossed your mind was the fact that your biggest flaw from your past was coming back to haunt you and ruin your potential performing career once more?

Mozart eventually took notice of Beethoven’s quiet demeanor. He started:

“Lud-kun, what’s wrong? You’re burning a hole in your plate by giving your breakfast that awful glare.”

Beethoven didn’t answer or even acknowledge anything Mozart had just said.

Annoyed, yet slightly worried, Mozart said again, now waving, “Lud-kun, what’s wrong? Hey, Lud-kun! Are you even listening to me? Lud-kun!”

Beethoven jerked when he saw a hand drift across his face. He then turned to Mozart and shouted, “Huh? What the hell do you want?!”

Mozart pouted, “Oh, don’t be like that Lud-kun. I was only trying to get your attention like three times.”

Beethoven gasped. He then said, defensively, “Okay – whatever! Now what do you want?! You’re interrupting my breakfast.”

The pink tornado stated the obvious, “You’re not eating, Lud-kun. It’s weird. You like breakfast. I know that Kanae put in half the effort this go around, but at least it’s better than that German food you’ve been trying lately.” –

Beethoven slammed both of his hands on the table. He aimed a finger at Mozart, and said, “Wolf, that’s uncalled for! Unlike you, I would actually like to experience my roots for once! Especially in this body!”

Mozart sighed, “German this, and German that. Don’t you ever quit? Despite us actually saying a single sentence in our native tongue just to unleash musik, we don’t know a lip about our heritage, and quite frankly, it’s too much work to start learning German right from the get go, making German foods, and honoring German traditions.” He then giggled.

“Well, maybe you should reconsider. You may actually learn something new about yourself. It would also be a chance to strengthen your musik. That way you won’t be so easily defeated when a little brat comes along and takes it from you.” Beethoven sat back down. He went back to staring at his food.

Mozart said, “Lud-kun, why do you want to learn German anyway? We’re reincarnated. We have our minds, memories, our musik, creativity and whatever. What else is there to want?”

Beethoven answered, “Wolf, if you’ve been paying any attention, you’ve probably noticed that I’ve begun composing music again. And I plan on doing it not just for fun, but to make money. Face it, it doesn’t matter what body we’re in, we’re still composers and musicians. It’s in our DNA to continue our legacy if you so choose, and I think I’d do much better back to where it all started over two hundred years ago. I want to make music there.”

“What,” Mozart was taken aback, “You want to go to Vienna and make music there? You’re leaving?!”

Beethoven answered, “I would like to leave eventually, but I’m afraid it won’t happen any time soon. I’m not ready and some things have come up.” Beethoven then rose from his chair once more. “I’m not hungry anymore. You can have my portion if you'd like,” he stated as he left the vicinity, freely offering his untouched plate of food to a still hungry Mozart.

“That’s…weird,” Mozart murmured.

Shortly after Beethoven’s departure, Kanae entered the dining room, and immediately noticed Beethoven’s plate. “Huh? That’s odd. Beethes didn’t even touch his food. I wonder if he’s sick. You know, maybe I shouldn’t worry so much. These kinds of antics happen all of the time, and I’m pretty sure that in the next hour or so he’ll be destroying the weeds outside with his flamethrower.”

Mozart piped up, “That may be, but he seemed really sluggish this morning. I had to call his name at least three times just to get any attention at all.”

Kanae smirked, “Are you sure he wasn’t purposely ignoring you?”

Mozart frowned, “Hey, he was not ignoring me! As a matter of fact, Lud-kun and I just had an intellectual conversation that will probably never happen again.” He then snapped his fingers. “Aha, I know! Why don’t you go and talk to him? I’m positive that he’ll spill the beans to you without question!”

Kanae placed her hands on her hips, and lightly sneered at the comment, “Alright, Motes. And what’s saying that he will? It’s not the first time that you two have kept secrets from me.”

Mozart said, “Oh come on, you can’t be that naïve to not notice that Lud-kun likes you.”

Kanae’s cheeks instantly turned pink. “He l-likes me? Why you inconsiderate…” –

Mozart quickly interjected, “Kanae, Lud-kun has had a crush on you ever since you rejected him three years ago. And after Tchaikovsky’s swan lake musik, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you.”

“But,” Kanae said, “He’s never said anything since then. He always seemed uninterested. He even said so when my mother tried to marry me off with just about anyone in this house, and in the end, he wound up rejecting me.”

“Oh, please,” Mozart said, now leaning back in his chair with his hands placed behind his head, “Did you really think he was going to tell you flat out when you were still in school? He’s been waiting for the perfect opportunity. And now that you are no longer in school, and a full-time landlady, he’s probably internally struggling – questioning himself – on whether he really wants to chase after his feelings. He’s going through a lot right now. Did you know that he’s planning to go to Germany?”

Kanae crossed her arms. “Of course, I know. I caught onto his scheme quickly after the first four hours of him giving me a lecture about German fries. He almost burnt down a good portion of the mansion too trying to cook them. I confronted him about it, and he told me everything.”

“See,” Mozart said, “That’s my point! He’ll tell you anything if you just ask!”

Kanae sighed, “Okay, fine. If you’re that worried, I’ll go talk to him and see what’s the matter.”

 

* * *

 

 At last, Beethoven managed to finish attaching his electric guitar (via cord) into amplifiers that littered his entire room. With the use of a pick, Beethoven plucked at the guitar’s strings a few times, trying his hardest to create some sort of tune, before coming to a realization that the sound he longed to hear was too quiet. Without thinking, he turned his attention to the amp’s dials and turned up the volume to maximum level.

Then, a harsh knock behind the closed bedroom door could be heard; however, Beethoven was too invested in what he was doing to acknowledge that there was anyone even there, possibly wanting something important.

Kanae shouted from the hallways, “Beethes, it Kanae. Open up the door! I need to talk to you!” She then grasped the door handle and twisted. “I need…” –

Without any notice, a thunderous sound made by an electric guitar soared through the mansion, blowing away most of bedroom door in the process, and cracking several windows in the surrounding area. Covered in sot and with an isolated door handle in hand, Kanae stared into the dark room, shocked and surprised that the sudden burst of energy didn’t fling her into the nearest wall. “Shit,” her voice quivered, “I have to replace all of the windows and a door now.”

It wasn’t long before anger overwhelmed her. She screamed, “Beeeeettthhhoooven!!”

Her obnoxious, booming voice immediately caught Beethoven’s attention. “Oh, girl, it’s you. Why are you angry? What’s wrong?” Bits of dust fell from the roof and on top of Beethoven’s wild hair for comedic effect.

Kanae exclaimed, “You and your annoying instrument is what’s wrong! Look at what you’ve done! You’ve destroyed this entire room! What did I say about instruments that would be a hinderance to others? Oh right, that they were banned! And on top of that, why were you playing so loud?!”

“Oh, sorry,” Beethoven said, “It didn’t seem that loud to me.”

Kanae retorted, “Not that loud? Just look around! There’s nothing left of your door, and your window and mirrors are shattered. I wouldn’t be surprised if all of the priceless stained glass in the ballroom is ruined too!” She then turned her head toward the amps and noticed that the volume was maxed out. “Oh my gosh, Beethes! Why is this on so loud? It’s not good for you!” She went to the amps and turned down the volume before directing her attention back onto the confused man. She continued with her arms crossed, “Hmm, maybe I should finally put my foot down and have you and Motes pay rent – which you should have been doing from the very beginning!”

Beethoven was taken aback, “Heh? What did you say? Rent? How cruel.”

To no surprise, Beethoven’s use of the word ‘cruel’ set her off; she vented at him for quite some time. During Kanae’s lecture, Beethoven watched her lips create every word, but unfortunately, he couldn’t make out most of them for the words were very inaudible to his ears. Beethoven clenched his teeth in frustration; he hated this. He hated the fact that he was beginning to fall back into the darkness that he thought he escaped. Why couldn’t he hear like a normal person? Why did he have to go deaf again?

“Did you get all of that?”

Obviously, Beethoven didn’t hear a single word, but he nodded anyway just to satisfy her. He wanted her out of his room before she would discover that something was actually wrong with him. She was a smart woman, and it was what he liked about her the most.

Then, Kanae stormed out of the bedroom. She decided to go shopping for dinner items in order to get her mind off of things, while Beethoven stood completely still in the middle of his room, wondering what to do next.

_Chapter 3 is next..._


	3. The Past: Part 3

The following day, Mozart had hunted down Kanae in the backyard. She was busy at work, picking some vegetables from the mansion’s garden. She was also keeping an eye on Beethoven as he picked weeds in the brush from afar. Surprisingly, he was actually on his hands and knees, ripping the weeds and their roots out from the ground like a normal person, and not torching the yard with his personal flamethrower. Again…odd. He didn’t bother with any overdramatic antics, spats were limited, and on top of that, he failed to give Kanae a twenty-minute musical lecture on his current German obsessions. Mozart could be right. Something could be seriously wrong.

Whilst lying on the ground, Mozart had his arms wrapped around Kanae’s waist. He pleaded, “Oh, please Kanae! Please talk to Lud-kun! Something is really wrong with him. He didn’t grind his teeth at all last night! He never mentioned gyoza or coffee once this morning; in fact, he barely said a word to me, and he looked so sad. Kanae, please, I already miss that scowl! I know that you two had a fight yesterday, but please, I’m begging you to at least find out what’s going on!”

Kanae growled, “And what do you want me to say to him?”

“I don’t know,” said Mozart, “You’re his girlfriend. Isn’t it your job to figure that out?”

“Who said anything about a girlfriend!” Kanae shouted as she pushed Mozart aside.

Mozart continued to beg, “Please, Kanae! Like I said before, he’ll say anything to you if you just ask him! Please, just kiss and make up already!”

Kanae said sharply, wanting to get the story straight, “I’m kissing and making up with nobody, Motes! Beethes and I are not a couple! We are **not** in a relationship, and I don’t plan on it any time soon!”

Mozart laughed, “Oooh, don’t let Lud-kun hear that. He’s sensitive.”

“Sensitive my ass!” Kanae then threw her arms in the air. She exclaimed, “Whatever, I give up! I’ll go talk to him if it’ll keep you off my tail!”

Mozart said, “Thank you! Thank you! Thank you, Kanae! I’ll make it up to you. I’ll finally pay rent. I promise.”

“You better.”

After, Kanae marched her way over to Beethoven – who was picking weeds through every nook and cranny under a picnic bench. When she stopped behind the white-haired man, she called his name. He didn’t answer. She called him again, and he didn’t answer. Frustrated, and thinking that he was mad and ignoring her (mostly because of her sudden outburst the previous day) she forcefully grasped his right bicep. He immediately jumped ten feet; unfortunately, his flinch caused his head to hit the underside of the table above him.

“OW! What the hell!?” He exclaimed, “Don’t sneak up on a man like that! Don’t you have any – oh – whatever! At least make some noise when you walk!”

Kanae raised a brow. Noise? She had made plenty of noise. What was he going on about? “Oh, I’m so sorry Beethes. I didn’t mean to scare you. I called your name a few times and I thought you were ignoring me.”

Beethoven flinched, giving Kanae an indication that the man was hiding something.

She continued, “Beethes, for the last two days you’ve been acting very strange. And Motes and I are beginning to get worried. You’re not yourself. Is something wrong?” She placed the back of her hand on Beethoven’s forehead. He blushed. “Are you sick? You feel feverish.”

Beethoven grumbled. The emotional turmoil inside was starting to eat him alive, and he knew that if he continued as is, no doubt his friends would find out themselves. If that were the case, they would give him a thorough tongue lashing for keeping such an important subject a secret. It wasn’t fair to them. He couldn’t torture his friends, because of his selfishness. He had to spill everything – and out of his circle of friends – it was Kanae that he trusted the most. If he at least told one person, maybe he’d feel a little better. Beethoven swiped the young woman’s hand away. He said:

“Kanae, if I tell you, can you promise not to tell anyone else? Especially those who live in this house.”

Kanae said, “Beethes, it depends on how serious this topic is. I can’t keep…” –

Suddenly, Beethoven yelled. He quickly grasped Kanae’s shoulders and squeezed hard. He said with definite desperation in his voice, “Promise me!”

Kanae answered, “Okay, okay! I promise! Just let me go!”

Beethoven did as he was told. Then, he took a deep breath before telling her the news. He said in a serious tone of voice, “Kanae, I’m losing my hearing. It won’t be long before I’ll be completely deaf…again.”

Kanae’s heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. “What? How do you know?”

Beethoven explained, “Yesterday morning, I started my day by cooking gyoza, but the usual sound of it frying to perfection was missing. I didn’t think much of it until I went to the piano to do some work. I played a few notes, but the sound from the piano was momentarily gone too. Of course, knowing me, I was in instant denial, and went back later to see if I had imagined it all. When I played, the music was there – I could hear everything – but it was very quiet. And now, look at this scenario; everyone is just as quiet as that piano when they speak, and I’m standing here yelling, because I can barely hear myself. To be honest, when you lectured me yesterday, I didn’t hear a word you said.”

“Oh,” Kanae furrowed her brows, “You didn’t?”

“No, I could make out some words, but putting together sentences was pretty much impossible. I’m doing my best by reading lips, but it’s a lot harder than I thought it would be. At the moment, it sounds like you’re whispering. I can hear you okay, but I’m still struggling.”

Kanae said, “Oh Beethes, I’m so sorry that this is has happened to you.”

Beethoven spat, “Please, do not elicit sympathy. I’ve dealt with this dilemma once, so I can deal with it again. This is my fate, and it runs on its own schedule. I thought I could take advantage of the second chance I had been given, but it must be in my DNA, because it seems that these things don’t go away. So, just like before, I’ll be making music rather than performing it. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted.”

Kanae asked, “So, will you be able to perform musik again?”

“Yes, but I won’t be able to hear it in the moment. I’ll only be able to see it and feel it. But do not worry girl, I have perfect pitch, so not all hope is lost.” He chuckled deep within his throat. “I’m just glad that I was able to experience my 9th symphony last year. After all, I was completely deaf when I wrote it.”

Kanae said, “Beethes. If there’s anything I can do for…”

“Free rent?”

“I’m not eliciting sympathy like you said! Of course, you are still paying rent!”

Beethoven shook his head. “No, I don’t need anything right now. I’ll be okay. Just don’t tell anyone, okay?”

“But, you’ll have to eventually.”

“Kanae, I won’t say it again. Don’t tell anyone. Not even Wolf. This situation is mine alone to deal with. I’ll deal with the repercussions if I have to.”

“Beethes…”

“I’ll tell everyone soon.” He smiled. “I have to get back to work now. I’m sure we’ll talk later today.”

Kanae blushed. She concluded, “Oh, okay. I’ll see you later then.” Then, she left.

 

_Chapter 4 is next..._


	4. The Past: Part 4

The following four days were torture for Beethoven, and – funny enough – it had nothing to do with his recent hearing loss. Like any day, he was forced to complete his chores…starting with the laundry. Every day was the same. Beethoven would always cross paths with Kanae as he journeyed to the laundry room. Kanae was normally in an apron, carrying a mop and wash bucket, but this week, she appeared in front of him only wearing a bath robe…twice. Beethoven thanked the heavens above that Kanae never grasped onto the nervous tension radiating off of him. A fierce tingle had built in the pit of his stomach, but he ignored those feelings by counting coffee beans in his head until that tingle went away.

Later in the day – when Beethoven was hanging the laundry to dry – outside on the second-floor balcony, he would then notice Kanae working in the yard. Halfway through her own chores, she would be sweating, forcing her to strip down to only her jean shorts and yellow tank top. Obviously, her breasts were nowhere near as large as Liszt’s, but he still considered her pretty…actually, Beethoven found the word ‘cute’ to be a more fitting word. Once the laundry was hung, Beethoven would hide behind it – for around ten minutes – and watch her till the dirt, pick vegetables or whatever else Kanae considered yard work.

Beethoven also took care of the cobwebs on the property, and unfortunately, no matter where he would go, Kanae always managed to find or stumble across him just to complain about something he did earlier that day. Beethoven agreed with Mozart that Kanae’s anger made her look sexy. He had to admit that as much as he hated being scolded by someone considerably younger than him, he didn’t mind it being Kanae. No doubt he’d worry if she wasn’t kicking his ass or threatening to evict him from the property for the one hundredth time. Eventually, he also pushed those feelings aside, but only until she was out of sight.

And that’s the way it had been for those four days.

_Present day…_

In the backyard, Beethoven stood still beside his high-tech – flaming contraption that was normally used to incinerate gyoza before resulting in a minor explosion. He imagined himself placing a plate of uncooked gyoza on the working table, covering his eyes with green goggles, and smashing his mighty fist onto the controller while yelling “FEURER!”

But this time, he couldn’t. No matter how much he wanted to use the machine – even if it were only for a second – he still couldn’t, for fear of losing what little hearing he had left. His hearing loss was getting worse everyday, and he estimated that he only had a year before he’d be completely deaf. Geez, he wasn’t sure what he was going to do outside of the mansion if there were fireworks or loud concerts. Oh no, would he be a recluse from now on? Would he never be able to do anything ‘fun’ ever again? Would he… –

Suddenly, Kanae appeared out of thin air beside him. She said in a louder tone of voice, “Hey, Beethes.”

He responded quietly, “Hey.” Oh no, those feelings were quickly emerging again. That tingling was not only occurring in his belly, but also his chest. It hurt.

Kanae then shoved a large, clunky object into Beethoven’s arms. He glanced downwards and observed a pair of industrial ear muffs; they were bulky, tense, strong, and grey. Beethoven gawked at the earmuffs like an idiot, before saying, “What is this, girl?”

Kanae pouted, “They’re ear muffs, silly. They’re the kind that people who hang around explosives a lot use. I went out into the industrial area earlier this afternoon, and bought a pair for you. It’ll protect your hearing. It’s the best of the best and it wasn’t cheap, so I want you to use it lots, okay?”

Beethoven shook. He said as his voice quivered, “Why…why are you condoning the very thing that you hate? You don’t like me cooking like this.”

Kanae said, “With Liszt and Chopin travelling, and Schubert being spirited away by a kite, it’s been awfully quiet lately. I mean, you and Motes alone could be considered a handful, but it’s just not the same. Motes is still being Motes, but you’re struggling with…you know…right now. Otawa mansion needs some excitement back in it, and why don’t we start by blowing something up, huh?”

That was it! He couldn’t take it anymore! The girl had gone out of her way to protect his ears just so that he could make some noise again. She really did care about him.

Tears welled up in Beethoven’s eyes, but he quickly shook off the emotion as he put on the earmuffs. He then started to use the contraption. Kanae stood back a few feet with her arms crossed, and smiling as she watched Beethoven work passionately; that same passion and fire peeking through his internal darkness. Yes, finally, Beethoven and his overdramatic personality was back, for now.

To nobody’s surprise, Beethoven had been overly excited and had overcompensated on the firepower, eventually causing a small explosion. Once the dark smoke cleared, Beethoven instantly doubled over and began laughing. Kanae’s eye twitched once she saw the devastation surrounding her. She knew that this would’ve bitten her in the ass, but she couldn’t bear seeing Beethoven so sad, especially after what he admitted to her. Beethoven continued to laugh as he jumped to his feet. He went straight into a monologue, yelling:

**“Aha! It worked! That’s exactly what I needed! The gyoza is burned, but I don’t care, haha! And I did not hear a sound! I might have not been able to hear the explosion with my ears, but I could hear the amazing sound in my head, in my feet and in my heart! And best of all, I could see it all happen through my very eyes. Yes, this sensation has brought upon some inspiration, along with a revelation! Nothing will ever stop me from cooking gyoza my way, just like nothing will ever stop me from making music, whether I’ll be able to hear it or not! It’s possible that I will never be considered a genius in today’s life – at all – but I can still be a great musician! I will create music! I will create musik! I will create a new symphony! My own symphony! Right here, right now, in Springtime!”**

Then, a fierce flash of light appeared within Beethoven’s fist. The light quickly morphed itself into the shape of his custom baton, and he raised it towards the bright sky. “Spielen wir unsere Musik!” As always, his casual clothes changed into his black Musik outfit. When the transformation was complete, Beethoven swiftly waved his baton, and summoned the musik.

Kanae’s experience with Beethoven’s musik was new and fresh. It was a brand-new piece of musik, yet she swore that she heard him play it once or twice on the piano or guitar. It was called Spring Sonata? Something like that. It had to be.

Kanae smiled and laughed as vivid colors and giant flowers of all sorts invaded the surrounding area, and briefly took her on a magical Musik journey. Large music notes and the sound of violins and pianos enveloped her. His piece – Violin Sonata No. 5 in F major, Opus 24 “Spring Sonata” – was beautiful and full of emotion. It was a certain emotion that needed to be released in order to accept what was happening in Beethoven’s new life. He finally accepted the fact that he was going deaf again, and now, he had to accept that he was falling in love, and needed to act upon his feelings that were directed towards Kanae before someone else would claim her. Yes, he would have to thank her later.

"DAS ENDE!"

_Chapter 5 is next..._


	5. Asking Her Out

"I need to talk to you,” Beethoven paused, then said, “It’s important."

It was approximately eight o’clock at night, and Kanae was busy with the dishes; the soap and water reached past her elbows. She gawked at Beethoven who stood ten feet apart from her. She could sense a bad aura…well, it wasn’t necessarily bad; he just seemed nervous. And though his arms were crossed, and looked content, Kanae could tell that he was troubled. Did she do something wrong? Was buying him earmuffs a bad move on her part?

Kanae said, “Grab a towel.” Then, she continued washing.

Beethoven took a deep breath before grabbing a dry tea towel from the nearest drawer, and grabbing the first dish from the drip tray.

At first, there was a brief silence, but Kanae was quick to break the ice. “What do you want to talk to me about?”

Beethoven sighed before saying, “I want you to call a meeting when Liszt and Chopin come back from their travels at the end of this week. I want to let the house know what’s really going on with me. After today, I’ve realized that it’s only fair. Right now, I think Wolf has suspicions, and I don’t think he’d appreciate it if he found out accidentally.”

Kanae said, “Well, I’m glad that you’ve decided to tell everyone. Motes has been bugging me non-stop about why you’re so stressed and quiet lately. I’m sure that if he didn’t hear it coming from you, he would probably feel betrayed, wondering as to why you’d be hiding something that important from him. And that goes for everyone else as well. In the yard – when you told me about your problem – if I would have found out by complete accident instead of from you, I would’ve felt as if you didn’t care about me at all. Why would you hide something that important from me? Did you not trust me? Beethes, be honest…were you going to keep your deafness to yourself until you couldn’t hear anything ever again? Until it was too late?”

Beethoven scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous. I would’ve told you regardless, whether we were in the yard or not. I would’ve eventually pulled you aside and told you the truth. Girl, I’m cracking and if I don’t say something soon, I’m going to end up snapping, and then things will get emotionally messy between all of us in the house.”

Kanae said, “I’m sure Shu-san will take it the hardest.”

“Who?”

“Never mind,” she smiled.

Beethoven stopped drying. He needed a moment. This was his chance. This was his opportunity. Yes, he had it all played out in his head before he even stepped foot into the kitchen, but why did he find it so hard to say something. Was he truly afraid of rejection? He was rejected by Kanae once already (although unintentional). That rejection stirred up emotions from the past, shook his confidence, and made him realize that his crush was only a crush and would never be considered a reality. Could he go through that again? “Kanae, I have something to say.”

Kanae stopped. She looked back at Beethoven and gave him her undivided attention (something that he never gave her in return).

Beethoven said, “You’re not a minor. You are an adult and no longer a student, so I thought it would be the appropriate time to say this. Remember that time when Wolf and the rest messed up the roof with that pink soup? Well, it was my job to stop you from seeing the mess. I tried to send you back into the house, but for some odd reason I gave you the impression that I was asking you out.”

Kanae cringed at the awful memory. “Yes – unfortunately – I do remember. So, what’s your point?”

“Asking you to go on a date with me was never my intention; however, after your rejection, something inside of me stirred. You see, Kanae, my past self always had rotten luck when it came to love. I fell in love easily, and unfortunately, fell in love with women who were already married. And due to me being deaf, my status as a citizen of Vienna, and wild looks, love for me was hard to find. Nothing stuck, and the only thing left that was worthwhile was my music.” He exhaled, “I know that I’m rambling and probably not making any sense, but I think in this life, I’m still capable of falling in love easily,” he turned to Kanae, “Listen, I’ll be frank, I like you a lot. You’re smart, pretty, sweet (depending on the day), witty, adventurous, short tempered, a workaholic, strong and independent. There’s more to list, but I don’t think you’d like those qualities very much. You also looked beautiful in your musik outfit last year, and I also think Wolf was right when he stated that you look extremely sexy when you’re angry.”

Kanae was frozen. She stood there, awestruck, and tried forming a pool of words. Her blood boiled at the sexy comment, but she found the rest of Beethoven’s words kind of sweet. Not since her grandmother has anyone said anything remotely nice to her. Compliments were scarce and everybody who lived at the mansion took everything for granted. Judging by his body language and tone of voice, Beethoven was serious about everything he said.

Beethoven said, “I-I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me. Don’t worry, I’ve read all about them. I know what I’m doing. So, would you like to go out with me? See how things go?”

Kanae briefly thought about his proposal. She examined Beethoven from head to toe. He was an attractive man; and his enormous wild hair, and lazy rock star look kind of turned her on. Out of all his physical features, Kanae found his aqua colored iris’ to be his most desirable trait. They were vivid, gorgeous, piercing, and could make anyone do their bidding. It had worked well on Kanae multiple times; mostly when it came to coffee though. And as for his personality, although eccentric, overdramatic and overall annoying at most times, he was very likeable. He didn’t listen very well due to being single minded about things he truly cared about, but if Kanae was potentially in that picture, she could tolerate that flaw.

However, Kanae couldn’t help but wonder if Beethoven’s intentions were good. When her mother had temporarily taken residence at the mansion, she had taken it upon herself to search for a suitable husband for her darling daughter. Beethoven – as for everyone else – only got involved, because free rent came with the package. It was hard to comprehend that Beethoven still had some feelings for her then.

Warmth spread throughout Kanae’s body. Her cheeks were going flush. She said, nervous, “Beethes, why do you want to go on a date with me?”

He replied, “I just said why.”

“I know, but I…” she trailed off.

“You, what?”

Kanae bit her bottom lip. “I’m eighteen. I’ll be nineteen in a few months. Why are you asking me out now? Did you have romantic feelings for me when I was still a student?”

Beethoven blinked. He wasn’t sure how to answer her question without sounding like a perverted fool. “I – I’ll be honest. I did have feelings, but I brushed them aside, thinking that it was foolishness. You rejected me before, so why chase after something that I may never get? I wasn't going to fall for that a third time. But…once you graduated from high school, and were of age, I had done some thinking. I sat on these feelings for months and pondered whether they were worth chasing after anyway. And now that my hearing is declining, I thought that I would say ‘screw it’ and give it a shot. That’s if you’d let me.”

There was a brief moment of silence between them. After, Kanae said:

“I’ll have to sit on this myself then. And then I can give you my answer.”

“How long?”

Kanae assured, “Don’t worry Beethes, I won’t keep you waiting. That would be awful of me.”

“So, am I right to assume that you are saying no?”

Kanae shook her head. “I haven’t made a decision yet. I can tell that you’re serious about this, so it is something that I’ll have to reflect on. It could take hours or days.”

Beethoven nodded. “Okay, girl. I understand. Oh, and girl?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for everything."

_Chapter 6 is next..._


	6. Advice from Liszt

“Liszt, may I speak with you? Privately,” said Kanae shyly. Her fingers were intertwined and placed behind her back, and her right foot was ‘digging a hole’ in the floorboards.

“What’s wrong, little kitten?” said a concerned Liszt as she hung up her clothing in her bedroom closet. She and Chopin had arrived back from their cross-country tour in Japan. Chopin desperately needed a break from the constant activity in both the house and city, and demanded to stay isolated in the country side for at least a month or two. And Liszt gave into his anxieties with the idea that she would find love along the way. Whether she did or not is unbeknownst to the audience.

Kanae said, “W-why are you assuming that something is wrong? Is there something I should know about?” Kanae moved forwards almost tripping over Liszt’s open baggage. “Liszt?”

The older woman laughed, “Isn’t it obvious? Since when do you come to me for advice? It’s usually the other way around. I need a drink.”

“Oh,” said Kanae, “I guess you’re right.” She looked away. “It isn’t bad per say. It’s just difficult. I have a big decision to make and I need some advice.”

“It involves Beethes, doesn’t it?”

Kanae’s eyes were as wide as saucers. Her palms were sweaty and she started to panic, “AH! W-w-what makes you say that?”

Liszt started, “Ohhh dear, my little kitten,” then shouted in an overenthusiastic manner, “Love it’s love!” She grasped Kanae’s thin hands. “He came to me this morning and told me everything.”

“Everything?!”

Liszt gave a brief nod. “Mhmm, he explained everything from when he first started liking you to when he asked you out. And he’s still waiting for your answer.”

“My answer?”

Liszt laughed, “According to Beethes, he asked you out on a Tuesday. It’s now Friday, and he’s restless. I can tell. Take too long and he might lose interest.” Then she placed the tip of her finger against her chin. “Speaking of restlessness. Do you know what’s wrong with him? He looks like a scared puppy, he’s shouting a lot more and he’s been focusing on my lips. Which is odd, because it should be your lips he’s after.”

Kanae blushed. She quickly lied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nothing is wrong with him!” She changed the subject, “So, he told you everything, huh? Anything specific come to mind that I should know about?”

Liszt replied, “Little kitten, I can’t spill any of his secrets. You see, he’s a very sensitive man.” –

“Sensitive?! Don’t go about telling me that, that brash man is Mr. sensitive!”

“Little kitten, he likes you a lot. What more can I say? Beethes knows what’s right for him. His feelings are genuine if you haven’t figured that out by now. I believe it would be wise to tell him how you feel. So, what is it? Is it love?”

Kanae admitted, “To be honest, I don’t know how I feel about Beethes. I have a list of things I like about him: he’s attractive, he’s nice when he wants to be, and is passionate about certain things. But then, there’s things that I don’t like about him, like not paying rent. The cons list is longer than the pros list…” she trailed off.

But Liszt continued the conversation, “Dear, he may not pay the rent, but he does take it upon himself to do the chores. He doesn’t have to be asked twice anymore. I’d say that’s an accomplishment in itself. He does the laundry most mornings and evenings, and picks the weeds as soon as they’re invading the yard. He even took the trash out when you asked him to. My dear, you are on the verge of having that man whipped. And don’t tell me that you don’t find his obsessions cute and amusing. Don’t you have fun when you play along? My little kitten, you make him happy most days. He has more fun when you’re around. Oh, I’m sorry, I’m rambling again!”

“You can’t change a man, Liszt.”

“I understand that, but what’s stopping you from trying?”

“Trying what? Changing him? That’s impossible!”

“No, silly goose!” She pinched the younger woman’s cheek. Kanae protested, but Liszt ignored her. “It’s simple, really. Just give Beethes a chance. Go on a date or two and see what you really think of him. Don’t judge a book by its cover. The person that you already see may be different once you really get to know them.”

Kanae scoffed, “HA! I doubt it. Could he really be a Mr. sensitive? What do you think?”

“I don’t know, my little kitten. I’m not his girlfriend. Come now, at least go out with him once. He could be a sweetheart or he may just be the same ole Beethes. You won’t know unless you try. Don’t be shy little kitten, he doesn’t bite.”

“Peh! I don’t believe that for one second.”

* * *

 

Beethoven hurriedly shoved his extra clothes in the washing machine. They had gotten overly messy from his self-employed job at painting his and Motes’ bedroom red; to no surprise, he did not get permission from Kanae, but at least it was one way to get her attention recently. She was a smart woman. She’d discover his redecorating scheme eventually (Is two days a stretch?); but, for now, he needed to hide the evidence as fast as possible before the stench from the paint overwhelmed the mansion.

BAH! It hadn’t even been two hours before Kanae walked into the laundry room with a serious expression plastered onto her face; however, Beethoven failed to notice her.

“Beethes,” Kanae started, but the man in front of her did not react to her voice. Whilst tapping his shoulder, Kanae said in a louder tone of voice, “Beethes!”

Beethoven jumped. He turned his head and gave Kanae an annoyed expression, but at least it was justified. Then, realization hit him that she was present as the warm water in the machine was turning into a blood bath. “OH! KANAE!” He shouted as he quickly slammed the lid of the washing machine downwards. He then started the wash, completely ignoring the fact that he had neglected the detergent and fabric softener. After, he leaned against the front of the washing machine. Pitifully attempting to act cool, Beethoven said:

“Kanae, what’re you doing here?” He gave a crooked smile.

“It’s my house.” Kanae spat, “I can go wherever I please.” She then placed her hands on her hips. “I should ask you the same question.”

“I’m doing the laundry, obviously.”

“It’s ten o’clock at night. **Normal** people don’t do laundry at this time.”

Beethoven retorted, “B-but they’re personal items. And it’s an emergency.”

Kanae sighed. She said, “Whatever. You guys are far from normal anyways, so I shouldn’t be surprised.”

Beethoven breathed a sigh of relief through his nostrils. He’d kept her fooled. At least until she smelt the paint and turpentine upstairs.

“Anyways,” Kanae said, “I came to talk to you about your offer.”

“Offer? What offer?”

Kanae’s gasped. “Y-you don’t remember?”

It wasn’t true. Beethoven did remember. But he was so focused on hiding evidence and redecorating his room that the memory and offer had momentarily slipped his mind. “Sorry, what did you say?”

She said louder, “You’re kidding me, right? You honestly don’t remember asking me out? I remember it clear as day!”

“I did?”

Kanae bit her bottom lip. “Beethes, you are so frustrating!” She then took a moment to collect herself. “Fine…you know what? Instead of running away from this, I should just say it. I don’t care whether you remember or not, but I – I like you too Beethes. Now, there are things about you that I like, but there are also a lot of things that I don’t like; but in the end, it doesn’t matter, because I want to get to know you better as a person. Yes, we do live under the same roof, but let’s be honest, we don’t really know each other very well. I don’t even know your favourite color. So, what I’m saying is that I’m willing to give us a chance. We could go on a couple of dates and see where we end up from there, huh?”

Beethoven looked genuinely confused. “Huh? What did you say in the middle there? Speak a little louder, would you?”

Kanae screamed before kicking the dryer beside the washer. She turned around and started leaving. “Oh, why do I even waste my time with you people!”

Beethoven let out another breath. When she was out of sight, Beethoven stopped the machine, and placed the detergent and fabric softener on top of the wet clothes. Then, a hand harshly grasped his wrist. The perpetrator keeping him still, gawked into the washing machine, and saw clumps of fabric drowned in red water.

Kanae growled, “Where did all of this red come from?”

Silence.

Kanae continued, “You didn’t forget about asking me out, did you?”

Silence.

“I knew it. You did remember! You are hiding something!”

“I did some redecorating in me and Wolf's bedroom.” Beethoven then tried changing the subject. He didn't want to go into details. “So, what do you want to do for our date?”

Kanae sneered,  "Dinner. Tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. I like pasta. Oh...and also...if your newly decorated room isn't back to normal by that time, our dinner date will be cancelled...and I'm not one to reschedule." She then mumbled as she left the room, "I can't believe he chose the color red..."

Beethoven had never moved so fast in his life.

_Chapter 7 is next..._


	7. Date #1: Part 1

Beethoven sauntered along the city’s streets. He came across a particular shop, taking a quick glance through the glass as he passed by. Whatever was in that shop had caught his eye. He walked back to the front window, and took another look. It appeared to be a men’s clothing store. There were very nice shirts inside – they would no doubt be expensive – but he did have Kanae’s credit card in his back pocket; even though the sole purpose of that card was to buy paint for the bedroom walls. He then shook his head and decided against using the card – he wasn’t that low – so, he went to the hardware store instead.

* * *

 

Kanae stood still in front of the mirror. She had tried on at least three different outfits already, but nothing stood out like a sore thumb. Presently, she was wearing a yellow sundress patterned with large red flowers. She accompanied the look with a pair of yellow flats, red studs for her ears, and a straw sun hat. Her outfit made her look cute and modest rather than beautiful; it was an appropriate choice for eating at a family restaurant and nothing fancy. She then took a quick glance at the clock, and saw that it was 6:58 p.m. She’d better not keep the man waiting. She wandered past Mozart and Beethoven’s open bedroom and saw that the walls were painted back to their original color; and it was done properly too.

Suddenly, pink on roller skates flew by her, and then quickly stopped. The pink figure turned around and shouted, “Kanae! You look so pretty! Where are you going?”

Kanae stopped. That was weird. Out of the entire peanut gallery, Beethoven and Mozart had the closest relationship to each other; they told one another everything. Had Beethoven forgotten to tell Mozart about their date? No, maybe Beethoven wanted it kept a secret, but should she be truthful, and have Beethoven explain everything to his friend later? “Oh, Beethes didn’t tell you?”

Mozart replied, “Tell me what? Tell me what?”

“Beethes asked me out last night,” Kanae said, “We’re going out for some food.”

“Like a date?!”

Kanae sighed, “Yeah, it’s a date.”

“Finally!” Mozart exclaimed, “It’s about time that Lud-kun decided to man up! Come on Kanae, tell me the details! You’re going out to eat, and then what?” He then giggled uncomfortably. Kanae knew exactly what he meant by his statement and blushed. She yelled:

“That’s not going to happen! We’re going to eat and come back! Nothing else, got it!?”

“Oh, that makes sense. Lud-kun is in the living room, on the couch with Liszt. I was wondering why he was all dressed up.”

“Dressed up?” Kanae shrieked, “Oh, no! I hope I didn’t underdress.”

Kanae then ran down the stairs. She thought, _“Dressed up? Since when did Beethes carry a separate set of clothes? Since when did **any** of them acquire other sets of clothes? He used money! He must’ve used my credit card when I sent him out for paint._ _How else could he afford good clothes?”_

When Kanae finally reached the living room, she found Beethoven waiting on the couch with his legs crossed. He was reading a book titled _‘How to please a girl for dummies,’_ and was dressed up alright. He was wearing black dress pants, and a bright red dress shirt. He kept the top two buttons undone, revealing some chest, but his scarf that he wore regularly made up for the exposed skin. His hair was still a white n’ wild rat’s nest, but that was just Beethoven.

Kanae was breathless. The man wasn’t just tall and attractive…he was hot! Maybe she would let the use of her credit card slide for today.

She continued into the living room. As motes stated, Liszt was sitting on the opposite side of the couch, giving Beethoven ‘helpful’ dating advice, but it was obvious that he wasn’t listening. His singlemindedness focused precisely on what secrets about women lay inside the written pages of his book.

Kanae stopped beside Beethoven and tapped him on the shoulder. She didn’t scare him this time. Beethoven started:

“What do you want now, Wolf – oh!” He immediately shut his book and jumped off of the couch. He froze when he observed Kanae in her yellow sundress; he wasn’t sure what to do next. What was he supposed to do? What did his book say? Things were different in the 21st century. He couldn’t just grab her hand and kiss it like a normal gentleman, but then again, when was he ever normal…or a gentleman? Then he remembered. He quickly grasped a bouquet of flowers and shoved them in Kanae’s face. The flowers were wilted – some were crushed – and they looked very familiar. Kanae was positive that petunias, daisies and dandelions (a weed) weren’t the norm for a romantic bouquet.

“Are these from the backyard?”

Beethoven grunted as he thrust the bouquet in her face again, also giving her a stern look that practically stated that she should just take the damn thing already.

Kanae commented, “So you could afford new clothes, but not a proper bouquet?” She then took the flowers and set them aside. “I’ll put them in water later. Thanks.”

Beethoven stuffed his hands into his pockets. He looked away and said, “Whatever, let’s go! We’re wasting our evening already just standing here like idiots.” Then, he left through the front door and Kanae quickly followed.

* * *

 

 “I know I said that I liked pasta, but I didn’t think that this was what I had in mind,” Kanae said as she and Beethoven were waiting for their dinner to arrive at their table.

They were at a restaurant…well…they weren’t exactly in a restaurant per say. It was more of a run-down food joint, where the only thing they served was pizza, soup and pasta. This place was also located in a small basement of a random building somewhere in the worst part of downtown. The floors were dirty, and there were only six tables. Italian flags were hung in various places, a small boxed television was also in the corner of the room playing football(soccer), and a variety of vintage Italian paintings were covering the walls. The lighting set a neutral mood, but Kanae couldn’t help but wonder how on earth Beethoven even found this place. It didn’t even have a name. “Beethes, when did you discover this place? It isn’t even marked properly on the street.”

Beethoven sat with his arms and legs crossed. He looked annoyed. He said, “I don’t really remember how I got here, but I can tell you that the paint store is right around the corner. I had lunch here today, and I liked it. It’s the perfect place for a date, is it not?”

Kanae gave an odd smile, “Actually, it isn’t an ideal place for a date at all. It isn’t very romantic.”

“You want romantic? You want romantic?! I am romantic! Get me a piano, and I’ll show you romantic!”

Kanae cringed, “What on earth are you talking about?” Eventually, it clicked that Beethoven chose the place because it was quiet. Hearing Kanae speak at a mainstream restaurant would be too much of a challenge.

“Whatever…I guess this is the part where we get to know each other?”

Kanae said, “Okay, should I go first?”

“Go ahead.”

“What’s your favourite color?”

Beethoven smirked, “Well, isn’t it obvious?”

“No, not really.”

“What?! It’s red! Haven’t you been paying any attention in the last three years?”

Realizing that he may go into a four-hour musical rant about the color red, Kanae didn’t dare ask Beethoven for more details regarding that particular color; and judging by his reaction to her ignorance, he was pretty passionate about that subject too.

Beethoven asked in return, “What’s your favourite color?”

Kanae answered, “Orange. I don’t wear it often though.”

“Why do you like orange?”

She flirted, “It’s the color of my favourite fruit, it’s warm, pretty, peaceful, and it compliments the red color very nicely.”

Beethoven turned a darker shade of red. He turned away, “Sorry, I’m really bad at this. I’ve never been on a date before.” He squinted, “And for your information, those flowers were from the front yard and were picked by gentle hands.” –

“I have a question,” Kanae said, “Did you buy those clothes with my credit card?”

“No,” he said in a serious tone of voice, “I’m low sometimes, but I’m not that low as to take advantage of you like that. Plus, I like you, remember? I want to stay on your good side.”

“Then, how can you afford clothing that nice?”

“I’m a composer. I make music.”

Kanae’s jaw dropped. She said, “Wait, you have a JOB?! When was this?!”

Beethoven replied, “I started working for the conservatory about a month ago. I was hired to create simple pieces for beginners in piano, brass and strings; I even compose music for the little ones. The pieces are mostly studies or exercises; unfortunately, I cannot create new repertoire since it will never surpass my old stuff, that I should have rights to. I could be making a lot more money with the new copyright system in this century.”

“So, that’s why you’ve been at the piano more than Liszt lately.”

“Yep.”

“Wait, how do you sign your pieces? Surely, people will not buy the name Ludwig Van Beethoven.”

“Nope,” he chuckled, “but they will buy the name Lud Von Beethes.”

The food eventually came. Both Beethoven and Kanae had ordered spaghetti and meatballs. The plates were large, piled with pasta, drenched in hot marinara, and ornamented with a mountain of meat. As they ate, they started opening up to each other a bit more. Kanae mentioned her likes (Beethoven already knew most of her dislikes) and things that she wished she could do more often. She admitted that she was a boring person in general and didn’t do much. She never fished, barely ate gyoza until Beethoven made himself known, never played a single instrument, and refrained from joining clubs due to the havoc that usually ensued in the mansion. Beethoven found it surprising that Kanae refrained herself from doing things that she could try and possibly enjoy. For the longest time, Beethoven thought that supervising the ClassicaLoids was her main source of entertainment. I mean, they had musik for heaven’s sake! What’s not to like?

Then, an idea came to mind. “Well…do you…want to come fishing with me some time?” Beethoven said, “It’s a very relaxing activity. You may like the silence. You’ll have to bring your own bait, though. I’m not sharing even though for some reason the fish won’t take mine; but I will not give into fate! I will make the fish love my gyoza, and then I will catch a whole tuna!”

Kanae was confused. “Your bait for the fish is gyoza? No wonder you come back empty handed. Why don’t you use worms like a normal person?”

“Worms? Why do people use worms? They’re not enjoyable. Wait, if that’s the case, why don’t I put worms into the gyoza, then I will surely catch a tuna!”

Kanae then burst out laughing. Beethoven was kind of funny when he wasn’t trying to be. Should she tell him that gyoza and fishing don’t go hand in hand? Nah! “Maybe I’ll let you teach me how to fish one day.” She smiled, “So I’ve been wondering…”

“Hmm?”

“When did you start liking me? Like, from the beginning?”

“HA!” Beethoven spat, “I loathed you at first,” well, it was the wrong thing to say, but at least he was an honest man, “you’re bossy, won’t let me do anything fun, and are far from ladylike. I never met _any_ women with a mouth like yours. But…you were nice enough to let me stay, no matter how many times you’ve told me to pay rent, or threaten to kick me out.”

Kanae retorted, “Well, now that I know you have a job, I expect you to pay it from now on!”

He continued, “You are a strong, independent woman, Kanae…and I like that. Back then, there were too many women out there who were forced from birth to talk, eat and act a certain way. Living in this world, I’ve grown fond of freedom to be yourself. I’ve watched you closely, and found that even though I often got on your nerves, you still cared about my well-being. I think I’ve said this before, but after your rejection, I began to like you more. I tried brushing those kinds of feelings aside, but it only got worse as months passed. Then, when I tried leaving this place, it was because I was running away from my feelings, knowing that I would eventually crack; I didn’t want things to be awkward, I wanted us to remain friends. However, when I was forced to return, the awkwardness was there, but it was one sided. I mean, just seeing you in the same room was enough to sweep me off my feet. Eventually, my feelings towards you were so overwhelming that I had no choice, but to act upon them. And now here we are…”

“Wow, took you long enough didn’t it?”

“Hey, I was waiting for you to graduate! I’m not a creep like Wolf.” Then, there was a brief silence between them. Beethoven asked, “So, when did you start liking me? I mean, you’re here, right?”

“To be honest, Beethes, I don’t like you as much as you think. There are many things that I like about you, but there are also many things that I don’t, but I was told that I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover and that’s why I’m here.”

Beethoven pouted, “So, what do you feel right now…about me?”

Kanae said, “I’m not sure, Beethes. I…I…guess I’ve discovered that you are capable of listening to me, you’re hilarious when you aren’t trying to be, and you’re very talented when it comes to gyoza, music and musik. You’re very passionate about music in general, and when I do the dishes, I can hear you playing and composing. And I really like it, it’s genius. You’re smart – believe it or not – creative, and want nothing but the best out of things. But I find that you try too hard to impress me.”

Beethoven blinked. “Hmm? What do you mean?”

“You didn’t need to dress up for our date. You didn’t need to give me flowers. You could have been the same ol’ Beethes.”

“So, you don’t like the outfit?” –

“ARE YOU KIDDING?! I LOVE IT! I don’t know why you don’t dress like this more often. The red suits your eyes – oh – who am I kidding? You’re so attractive that it’s painful – oh, I guess I should just say it! Beethes, I have some feelings for you. I get butterflies in my stomach as well, but I’m not sure whether I want to date or not. It’s a big decision and very scary for me. I mean, what if something bad happens between us? Wouldn’t it be awkward since we’re all living under the same roof? I would like us to remain friends too.”

Beethoven said, while somewhat surprised by Kanae’s outburst, “I wouldn’t worry about that right now, Kanae. My biggest concern presently is whether or not I’ve gotten your approval.”

Kanae shied away. She said quietly, “One more date, and then I’ll make a decision.”

Beethoven then changed the subject, “So, according to the book, it says that I have to pay for the bill, and then take the girl out for a walk or something. Did you want to go rural, and look at the stars? Or would you rather call it a night, and go back to the mansion?”

Kanae’s heart melted. His idea sounded so romantic, and Beethoven was the furthest away from romantic as one could get. It was also obvious that he was trying very hard for her affection. She couldn’t possibly turn him down on that offer. “Yeah, let’s go do that.”

_Chapter 8 is next…_


	8. Date #1: Part 2

Kanae couldn’t decide whether she wanted to continue their date and look at the stars or take a rain check and head home, so they did both. Beethoven and Kanae were on the rooftop of the mansion; their bodies lay prone with pillows behind their heads to make the experience more comfortable. The two of them had been gazing at the stars for over half an hour in silence, and surprisingly, the other ClassicaLoids managed to stay out of their way. Either the others did not know they were home, or they were respecting the boundaries associated with their date. Respect? BAH! It wasn’t respect, that’s for sure. Chopin was the only one aware of their early presence at the mansion, but he kept to himself rather fast.

Finally – after the never-ending silence – Beethoven said as he pointed towards the night sky. “Gyoza. I see gyoza.”

Kanae smirked. She said, “Beethes, that’s probably the tenth gyoza you’ve found tonight. Can’t you find something else up there?”

Beethoven paused momentarily. He squinted as he tried to connect the dots. “A frying pan…I see a frying pan for the gyoza.”

“You mean the big dipper?”

“No, this is definitely a frying pan.”

Kanae said, “Beethes, are you seriously hungry or something?” Silence. “Pfft! I cannot believe that you’re still hungry after that monstrosity we ate tonight. It was good, but too much for my little tummy to handle.”

Beethoven replied, “I’ll make gyoza later.”

Kanae lightly exclaimed, “Why are you so obsessed with gyoza anyway? There are better foods out there, you know.”

“I know,” he responded, “Just like German fries. Actually, I’ll make those later instead. I’m really good at making them now. You should try them. I think you’d like them.”

“Hey, Beethes…”

“Yeah?”

Kanae exhaled, “Motes told me that you were thinking of going to Germany. And then Austria. Alone. I mean, I kind of caught on, and thought nothing of it; but, once I saw you learning German on your own, making German foods, and mapping out which areas of the country you’d like to see, I knew that you were serious about going.”

Beethoven blinked, “Is there something wrong with me going?”

Kanae said, “Is it because you want to immerse yourself into your past? Do you plan on living there, or just taking vacation? Do you…like it here at the mansion?”

Beethoven took a deep breath before saying, “The plan was to stay in Europe for a while, to share my music like old times, but I’m afraid that plan has changed, mostly due to my hearing loss. I also have too many friends here and the person that I like probably isn’t willing to come with me. I think I’d like to visit those countries – one day – but for now, I’m content here. I guess, if I decided to go tomorrow, would you have a problem with it?”

Kanae thought for a moment. She then said, “I think I’d just miss you, that’s all.”

Beethoven wiggled, attempting to achieve some comfort. He said, “I’ve lost myself in nature before, but I’ve never sat still long enough to look at the stars. It must be a big world out there.”

Kanae commented, “Well, we now know aliens exist. Not only did they come here twice, but one also managed to possess you.”

Beethoven chuckled deep within his throat, “Yeah.”

“Beethes,” Kanae started again, “Thank you for everything tonight. I enjoyed myself, no matter how unromantic that restaurant of your choice was.” Then, something caught her attention, “LOOK!” she aimed a finger at the sky, “A shooting star. You should make a wish Beethes, but don’t tell me or it won’t come true.”

Beethoven responded, “Wishing is child’s play. I believe in fate. I’d rather set goals. If I want something, I’ll do everything in my power to get it.”

There was silence again, but it was strained. Although Beethoven and Kanae were now comfortable being in each other’s presence alone, there was still some tension coming from Beethoven. She had an idea of what he was thinking about, so she prodded, “So, when are you going to tell everybody?”

“…Soon.”

“Okay,” Kanae then turned her head to look at Beethoven, and he was staring right back at her. His aqua eyes pierced her soul, and for some reason, she felt like kissing him. “…just let me know and I can call a meeting,” She turned red, “but, don’t take too long. You wouldn’t want anyone finding out by accident.”

“…It’s Ludwig.”

“What?”

Beethoven repeated, “My name is Ludwig. You are free to call me that if you wish to do so…”

Kanae’s eyes widened. She stuttered, “L-Ludwig?”

He looked away. “…but if you’re more comfortable with Beethes, then that’s fine too. It’s just…I’ve always preferred that name.”

“I’m not sure,” Kanae smiled, “The name ‘Beethes’ is a bad habit to break, but maybe I’ll give Ludwig a try some time.”

With their eyes still locked, Beethoven murmured, “Your eyes are pretty in the moonlight.” He blushed, then looked away. Why did he say that?

Turning even more red, Kanae turned back to the sky and saw stars. “Oh, I see a gyoza too!”

“So…you said you wanted another date. What do you want to do?”

_Chapter 9 is next..._


	9. Conflict on the Roof

_The next day…_

Rain had plagued Otowa mansion; from both the inside and the outside. Due to Mozart accidentally deleting Chopin’s video game progress, Chopin threw a fit, and with the help of his musik, made it drizzle inside the house, but created a fierce storm outside. The storm’s wind was so immense that it tore a handful of shingles from the roof. While Liszt was attempting to calm Chopin and pull him out of his musik, and Mozart jumping in the backyard littered with puddles, Kanae and Beethoven took it upon themselves to temporarily patch the holes until they could find something permanent. Kanae thought to herself as Beethoven and her worked against the pounding rain, _“Oh well, the mansion needed new shingles anyway. Shit, I’m racking up debt again. Damn you, dad.”_

Kanae stopped. She looked at her yellow raincoat, it was barely repelling the water now; she prayed she didn’t get a cold. She then shouted to Beethoven who was a few feet in front of her, hammering away at a piece of wood. He was wearing the hearing protection Kanae had bought for him, keeping his ears cozy and warm from the brisk, howling winds. “Beethes!” She then went over to Beethoven and tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to Kanae, and lifted one side of his earmuffs.

“What is it, girl?” Beethoven said.

“Thank you for helping out. There’s no way I could have done this all on my own.”

“Huh?” Frustrated, Beethoven turned his body to face Kanae and gave her his full attention. “Sorry girl, what did you say?”

Kanae repeated, “I said thank you for helping me. I would’ve surely caught a cold if I’d done this on my own.”

Beethoven puffed out his chest, too proud for his own good. He answered with a sleek smile, “You’re most welcome,” then the smile faded, “but I’m afraid I have no choice. I have to do this in order to afford free rent.”

“Afford!? I just found out yesterday that you had a job. No, I’m charging you rent now whether you like it or not!”

“See? I have no choice.” He turned his head away, “Besides, you made the same threat when I was jobless. I highly doubt that you are going to go through with it.”

The rain grew harsher.

Kanae murmured, “Well, at least I can _somewhat_ depend on you. I’m afraid Motes would ruin everything if he were helping.” She said louder, so Beethoven could hear, “It looks like we’re almost finished. I’ll make us tea and coffee once our job out here is done.”

“What about inside?”

“After tea and coffee, we’ll worry about that mess later.”

Then, the wind and rainfall ceased. What a relief.

Beethoven commented, “It looks like Liszt managed to calm him down.”

Kanae said, “Hmm, maybe I should check on them. See what the damage is.”

Beethoven said, “Okay, I’ll continue working.”

“Beethes, I really don’t want to leave you up here by yourself. What if something happens?”

“It’s okay. You go ahead. I’ll just finish up this panel here. Just…if you need something, tap me on the shoulder like you always do, okay?”

“No,” Kanae was adamant, “I’ll be back in five minutes.” Kanae then shifted her body towards the ladder. “Just, don’t go anywhere or set anything on fire.”

Beethoven blinked. Since the storm was gone, Beethoven found no need to wear his hearing protection. He took it off and placed it beside the toolkit. Then, he turned his back to Kanae, grabbed his hammer, along with a piece of wood and started working again.

Unfortunately for Kanae as she reached for the ladder, her foot had caught a wet patch. She slipped, and went sliding down the roof. She skids off, but managed to grasp a piece of the eavestrough before freefalling. In the process of almost falling to her death, she had also kicked over the ladder. Just her luck. With both hands she was now dangling 30 feet, scared out of her wits, but also surprised that the eavestrough was holding her body weight…for now. She tried to use whatever upper body strength she had to pull herself back up, but alas, she was too weak to do such a thing.

The crash of the ladder had caught a certain pink man’s attention.

Kanae then made the mistake of looking down. Instantly, her world spun, she grew nauseous, her palms were sweaty and she was quickly entering the early stages of a panic attack. She exclaimed to the nearest set of ears, “BEETHES! BEETHES! HELP ME!”

But he couldn’t hear her. She was screaming at the top of her lungs, and he couldn’t hear her. His hearing was getting really bad. She should have a talk with him later.

She tried again, “BEETHES!” But then a different name, “LUDWIG! LUDWIG! HELP ME! PLEASE!”

Again, no reaction.

Kanae then heard footsteps. She looked down again and noticed Mozart stopping under her feet. He was around the size of a pea at this height. He shouted from ground level, “Hang on Kanae! I’ll figure something out. Wait, let me get the ladder!”

Mozart ran to the fallen ladder, and attempted to lift it, but it was too tall and far too heavy of an object to lift all on his own. There was no time. Quickly giving up, Mozart ran under Kanae again, but this time, stretched out his arms. “Kanae, fall and I will catch you!”

“WHAT?!” Kanae shook her head. “No, Motes, you’ll get hurt! That’s out of the question!”

Mozart yelled back, “And you’ll seriously get hurt if you don’t allow me to break your fall!”

Kanae turned her attention back to the man still patching up the roof. She shrieked, “LUDWIG, HELP ME NOW! PLEASE!” But it was of no use.

“Why is Lud-kun ignoring you, Kanae?!” His face contorted, “That prick!”

Kanae quickly said, “Motes, he can’t hear me! He can’t hear you! He can’t hear us!”

Mozart was puzzled. He said, “What do you mean he can’t hear us? Out of all the ClassicaLoids, Lud-kun has the best hearing!”

Kanae’s heart broke. Should she tell him? “It’s impossible, Motes! He can’t hear us!”

Without warning, the eavestrough that held Kanae creaked and snapped; it released itself from the side of the roof. She and her sweaty palms couldn’t hold on for much longer. She yelled, “Shit, I’m slipping! LUWIG! BEETHES!” –

“Let me catch you!” –

“BEETHES!”

She fell. –

But a hand quickly grasped her wrist. She was hanging by a thread yet again. Kanae looked up and noticed that her last-minute saviour was Beethoven; his forehead sweaty and his entire body shaking. It was obvious that he was struggling to hold on. Kanae started:

“This is familiar, isn’t it?”

Beethoven responded without fault, “Yep, but this is different. There is no musik involved.” A mixture of sweat and leftover rainwater fell from his face and dripped onto Kanae’s. Then, it began raining again.

Kanae said, “How’re we going to get out of this one, Beethes. We can’t pair off, can we?”

“Ngn,” Beethoven grunted.

Then, her hand slipped from his grasp. Kanae shrieked, “AH!”

Beethoven yelled, “KANAE!!”

**“Fuhle meine Musik!”**

 Suddenly, the giant hand of a skeleton grabbed Kanae around the waist, and led her to safety on the ground. While putting Kanae somewhere on the grass, the skeleton used its other hand to reach for the ladder and put it back to its original position against the side of the house. Without hesitation, Beethoven immediately went to the ladder and climbed down.  

Mozart – in his red and ruffles – rushed to the young woman, still recovering from a panic attack. “Kanae,” he shouted, “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Kanae quickly gawked at her arm. There was a small cut, but blood was flowing. “Looks like I cut myself, but it’s nothing that a first aid kit can’t handle.”

“No doubt, there’ll be bruising too,” Mozart added.

Beethoven appeared in front of Kanae. Unlike Mozart, who was kneeling alongside Kanae, Beethoven decided to stand. He said, “Girl, are you alright?!”

Mozart interceded, “LUDWIG, what happened up there?! How come you weren’t helping Kanae?!” He growled, “and don’t give me a bullshit answer saying that you couldn’t hear her. Both her and I were screaming your name for a solid two minutes!” He then aimed a finger at Kanae, and said to her, “And what’s with that ‘he can’t hear us. It’s impossible.’ business anyway?” He turned back to Beethoven, “How dare you ignore her! She could have been seriously injured or killed! You’re her boyfriend! You’re supposed to be protecting her!”

Beethoven snapped, “SHUT UP!”

Kanae interjected before heated emotions got in the way. “Motes that’s enough! And he’s not my boyfriend. Just because we went on one date, doesn’t automatically make us a couple.”

Mozart wasn’t done, “You could have easily seen her sooner! Is your mind that single minded? I mean, you two were working up there together, right?! Didn’t you think that something was off?!”

“I didn’t hear her!” Beethoven said defensively, “I didn’t hear her!”

“I CALL BULLSHIT! That doesn’t make any sense? You can hear a coffee bag open all the way from Vienna! You can hear everything!”

Beethoven grappled onto his hair, bent over and pulled, “I didn’t hear her! I DIDN’T HEAR HER! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!”

It was Kanae’s turn, “I think that’s enough you two! I’m okay. Beethes, it’s not your fault, okay?”

Beethoven managed to calm down. He said, “but you’re hurt.”

“You know Beethes…”

“What?”

“I think you should tell everyone now.”

Mozart entered, “WHAT?! TELL ME WHAT?! What have you two been hiding?!” He lashed back at Beethoven, “You’re hiding something from me?!”

Kanae prodded, “Beethes?”

Beethoven said, “Wolf, we need to have a talk, but let’s get the girl taken care of first.”

Kanae shouted, “OH MY GOD BEETHES, YOUR ARM!”

Beethoven looked at his arm and saw a large tear in his yellow raincoat. There was a noticeable gash traveling from his hand up to his elbow. Red was everywhere on his arm. His blood had imprinted itself onto the bright raincoat, and was now dripping from his fingertips. He must’ve cut himself while reaching for Kanae. “Meh, it’s just a scratch.”

“Just a scratch?! You need to go to a doctor for that, Beethes!”

“Whatever. I’m fine. Who needs a second opinion anyway?”

_Chapter 10 is next..._


	10. The Truth Hurts

Instead of calling a meeting, Beethoven – behind Kanae’s back – took it upon himself to take each person aside – one by one – and explain his personal situation; and he was glad he did. Waves upon waves of different emotions from every ClassicaLoid and human alike, tore a strip off of him a little at a time.

Liszt was at a loss of words. She stood frozen, unsure of what to say or ask, which sort of hurt. He didn’t think the news would affect her that much. He then told Chopin on the other side of the closet, and he too said nothing. Then again, Chopin didn’t say much in general, so it was hard to tell what he was feeling.

When Sosuke was told, he was sad and pitied Beethoven, for he understood Beethoven’s past. Fortunately – out of everyone – Sosuke asked the most questions, and much like Kanae, asked if there was anything he could do, but Beethoven said in return that he’d keep the offer in mind.

He then told Tchaikovsky and Badarzewska via phone call; Tchaikovsky was in instant denial and Badarzewska seemed unaffected – at least on the outside. He failed to get a hold of Pad-kun or Dvorak, so he made the decision to tell them once they came for a visit; completely deaf or not.

He didn’t bother with Wagner. And why would he? Why would he tell the little runt about his recurring deafness? It’s not like he cared; in fact, Wagner could use the news against him or even make fun of him for it. Kanae could tell her ‘little brother’ if it was that important.

Now it was the hard one…Mozart.

* * *

 

“What? What did you just say?” Mozart said, dumbfounded.

Beethes and Mozart were in the middle of their bedroom. The location was somewhere familiar and comfortable, where deep subjects like this could take away at least _some_ of the tension. Beethoven told his friend when he interrupted Mozart’s game of hitting a rubber ball against the wall, and without a doubt, Beethoven knew that Mozart’s smile would fade, his happiness would wane away, and he probably wouldn’t bounce back; but, at least it was the truth and Mozart would no longer be left guessing.

“I’m going deaf, and I’ll completely deaf by next year, most likely.”

Mozart hesitantly laughed, denying Beethoven’s words, “Ha, Lud-kun! That’s a funny joke. You know, I’ll give that one a six, because for a moment there, I thought you were serious.”

“This isn’t a joke,” Beethoven said in a passive aggressive tone, hoping to get the point across, “I’m very serious. I was deaf in my past life, and now I’m going deaf again; it is my fate. Haven’t you noticed me talking louder than usual? Why I seem like I’m sad and ignoring you? It’s because I can’t hear you. Talking to you now, I’m only reading your lips. You are barely audible, as am I, and it’s only going to get worse. Soon, I won’t be able to hear anything, I won’t be able to communicate, and I won’t be able to experience musik the way I want to. Wolf, I wrote a symphony hundreds of years ago that I never heard with my own ears until last year. Things are now different in this house…starting today.”

Mozart’s eyes were as wide as saucers. There was still doubt. “Hey, you’ve tricked me before. I don’t believe you! I don’t believe anything that you’re saying!”

Beethoven continued, “Wolf, that’s why I couldn’t hear Kanae or you on the roof today! Yeah, I was partially not paying attention, but that’s because she said she was going to check up on Liszt and Chopin. I assumed that she’d already left. And that’s what Kanae meant by ‘he can’t hear us. It’s impossible.’”

Mozart tried to come up with solutions. “Couldn’t you get a hearing aid?”

Beethoven answered, “hearing aids only work for the hard of hearing, not the deaf. I could try to use them, just to help me out a little bit, but why would I go through with something that won’t even work in a year’s time? Also, do you know how expensive those things are? I cannot afford it, even with the job I have now.”

Mozart smirked, “Then, why not get Kanae to pay for them?”

“You idiot,” Beethoven shouted, “Kanae’s in enough debt already! For hearing aids, I would never do that to her.” He then stopped and took a deep breath before crossing his arms. “I’m sorry, Wolf. I know that this is hard to grasp onto, but this is fate. And I’ve accepted it; but my deafness won’t stop me from making music still. I won’t let fate get the best of me, okay?”

Then, there was silence.

“Wolf…” Beethoven said, concerned by Mozart’s silence.

Still as a statue, and with clenched hands and teeth, Mozart said, “When were you going to tell me?”

“…When I was ready.” –

“You mean the day when you would have gone completely deaf!”

Beethoven was taken aback by Mozart’s outburst. He responded, “What? No! As a matter of fact, I was going to tell you tomorrow, but obviously things didn’t go according to plan. Regardless of what happened today, I would have told you. I can’t hide it anymore. It’s eating me alive.”

“I found out by accident! Do you not…trust me or something?”

“Wolf, of course I trust you.”

“I thought we were friends!”

“We are!”

“I DON’T BELIEVE YOU!” Mozart then rushed past Beethoven, opened the bedroom door and burst into the hallway. He flew down the corridor, and passed a surprised Kanae, who was carrying towels.

Kanae said, “Motes, what’s wrong?” –

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” He exclaimed, still running. Before long, he was out of the mansion and onto the streets.

Kanae went to Beethoven’s room. She found him quiet as a mouse and gazing at the floor. Kanae started, “I take it that telling Motes didn’t go so smoothly.”

“He’ll come around,” said Beethoven.

“I was wondering why everyone was acting so strangely tonight. Why didn’t you tell me that you were telling everyone this way?”

“I said before that I would deal with the repercussions. It’s personal, and it is done. Everyone that needs to know now has an understanding.”

“Are you okay, Beethes? I mean, there must’ve been a roller coaster of emotions.”

Beethoven slightly smiled. He said, “It’s okay, Kanae. I’ll be okay.”

Kanae concluded, “Beethes, if there’s anything you need, let me know. Things may be awkward for the next few days, but remember that none of this is your fault.”

_Chapter 11 is next…_


	11. Treble

Things were awkward at the mansion to say the least. The tension between everyone at the house was starting to take a toll on Beethoven; he was on the brink of blaming himself for it. Kanae tried several times to set up a second date, but Beethoven refused every time; he was too melancholy to thoroughly enjoy himself, no matter how many times Kanae protested that going out together would somewhat help.

Strain was imminent. The entire house was forced to speak louder, tap Beethoven on the shoulder to get his attention without scaring him, refrain from creating loud/disturbing noises; however, nobody but Kanae and Sousuke actually followed through. Liszt tried doing as ordered, but quickly grew restless every time Beethoven (not very politely) asked her to repeat herself. Eventually, she wound up ignoring Beethoven altogether; she only conversed with him when it was needed.

Chopin kept his distance – and to himself – but always found himself getting scolded by Beethoven for accidentally scaring him. Chopin was too quiet of a character, and he too, avoided Beethoven at all costs for fear of being yelled at…again.

Although it had been three or four days, Mozart was still angry towards his best friend. The pink fairy wore his feelings on his sleeve, and finding about Beethoven’s deafness by accident definitely stirred unwanted emotions. On more than one occasion, Beethoven attempted to make amends via food, a card and an ‘I’m sorry,’ but alas had no luck with the other man. He began to worry that his best friend would be mad at him for the rest of his life. He didn’t have that many close friends in his past life; he didn’t want to lose what he’d finally gained.

Beethoven lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling tiles. He felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see the perpetrator; it was Kanae with a small woven basket in hand. She said, “Come on, Beethes, we’re getting out of the house. I have some errands to run. I want you to come with me.”

Beethoven raised a brow. He replied, “Hm? Just you and me?”

Kanae confirmed, “Yes, just you and I. Like I said, we’re running some errands, and then we can go do something together.”

“A…date? I don’t think I…” –

Kanae pulled on Beethoven’s ear. She said, “No, not really. Come now. We have to get you out of here. It’s too tense, and it’s obviously bothering you.”

“Ow, let go of me! Okay, fine!”

* * *

 

Beethoven followed Kanae from shop to shop like a sad puppy; he obviously didn’t want to be out and about today, but she desperately needed him to focus on something else, rather than the disturbances at the house. Kanae paid bills mostly, but she also needed new shoes. Beethoven was a brutally honest man, yet good critic, so no doubt he could help Kanae find the perfect set of summer shoes. She put him up to the task, and at last sparked some light. His passion for perfection would also shave off a couple of hours. She didn’t mind as long as the task he was given gave him temporary happiness.

_Five hours later…_

After finding the perfect pair of shoes – According to Beethoven’s standards – Beethoven and Kanae made the decision to stop at the nearest burger joint for a late afternoon lunch. There, they talked about random things such as: guitars, pianos, Beethoven’s job, Germany, Hasshie, other animals, and a festival occurring in the city that weekend. No matter, at the end of the day, she refused to allow Beethoven to put a moment’s thought on the house. Honestly, she couldn’t imagine what he was feeling. It was sort of unfair. He’s not in control of what his body does, and yet, because of his hearing loss, everyone avoids him like the black plague. Smart as she was, Kanae knew that those at the mansion would come around and adjust, but for now, her and Sousuke needed to support their friend to the best of their ability during his troubling time.

Beethoven asked to see her new shoes for the tenth time. Kanae took them out of the box and placed them on the table. The shoes were bright red, stamped with flower patterns that rivaled the patterns on the sundress she wore on the eve of their first date. In her honest opinion, Kanae didn’t like the shoes; it was a waste of 5000 Yen, but it made Beethoven happy, and thus, she would wear them. Who knows, maybe they’d grow on her the more she wore them.

“Kanae,” started Beethoven.

“Yes, Beethes?”

“I know that you don’t like the shoes, and I know why you let me pick them. I thank you for that. Thank you for getting me out of that house. I find you and Sousuke my only friends right now.”

Kanae’s heart broke. She said, “Oh Beethes, don’t be so upset. I think that everyone is still finding the news tough to swallow. They just need some time to adjust. It’ll get better, you’ll see.”

Beethoven bit his bottom lip. He gawked at the surface of their table with sad eyes. He didn’t believe her, did he?

Kanae continued, “Motes is just angry because you didn’t tell him soon enough. He’ll cool down, he’ll forgive you. Liszt is slowly learning. As frustrating as it is, she’s taking baby steps, and before you know it, she’ll adjust to the circumstances. And Chopin is…well…just being Chopin. He’s quiet in general. If he scares you, don’t get too worked up about it. He’ll learn to be more assertive when trying to tap you on the shoulder. Just, please don’t give up on everyone, okay? Trust me when I say that it’ll get better.”

“Yeah,” Beethoven grimaced, “You’re probably right. Everyone will adjust, and it’ll be fine. How much worse can it get once I’ve lost my hearing for good?”

Kanae purposely got off topic again, “Listen, let’s briefly go back to the mansion, so I can drop off these shoes, and then we can go do something together.”

Beethoven refused, again, “Girl, how many times do I have to tell you that I don’t want to go on a date right now!”

“Why not?” Kanae asked.

Beethoven responded without hesitation, “It’s not that I don’t want to go on a date with you – I really do – but, dates are meant to be fun and to solely put your focus on the other person; and I fear that I won’t have any fun. You know that I’m very single minded, and once I have my mind set on one thing, it’s nearly impossible for me to forget about it until I’m satisfied. I fear that our date would just be a waste of time for the both of us.”

Kanae touched the man’s arm. He slightly blushed. She said, “It’s not a date, Beethes. It’s just a day out of the house, remember?”

“Where should we go then?”

* * *

 

Kanae and Beethoven were attending the nearest cat café situated in the neighborhood. The ClassicaLoid immediately fell in love with the many cats wandering between the shop and meet and greet area. After ordering some coffee, then downing the drink, Beethoven briskly played with each available cat or kitten willing or unwilling to give him the time of day. The man did not talk to the cats, nor Kanae. He continued his activities in silence.

From afar, Kanae watched Beethoven play with Treble; a black, domestic shorthair. Out of every cat he met that evening, Treble seemed to have struck a chord with him. He lost interest with the other cats, and only focused on Treble; he believed that they shared a special bond, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on as to why.

“Awe, isn’t that sweet,” said a female voice on Kanae’s left.

Kanae instantly took a glance, and noticed that the voice belonged to one of the café’s employees who mostly tended to the cats, and supervised the meet and greets. She was substantially taller than Kanae, dark-haired too, with the figure of an hourglass. Cat hair of various colors clung to her all black clothing. She said in a sweet tone of voice, “I see that your boyfriend enjoys that particular cat.”

For some reason, Kanae did not correct the woman after assuming that her and Beethoven were a couple; instead, she answered, “Yeah, he does, doesn’t he?”

“Which is a relief since Treble is known as the black sheep amongst the other cats.”

“Oh? How so?”

The woman placed a finger on her chin. She said, “Treble has taken residence here for at least a month; the others have all been adopted. We are getting new arrivals from the humane society next week, but unfortunately, nobody wants this one.”

“Why is that,” Kanae asked, “Is something wrong with it?”

The woman said, “Oh dear, didn’t you read Treble’s bio? She’s stone cold deaf. I mean, who’d want a cat that screams instead of meows, because it can’t hear itself; a cat that’s constantly stressed; a cat that’s mostly paranoid, because it constantly gets scared; a cat that gets picked on by other cats, because of its disability; and a cat with a short fuse? Well, there’s only one way to stop that nonsense; love. The cat longs for it. You know, it takes a very special person to take the time to love something like that. Anyways, the adoption papers are ready to go at the front desk. The cat itself is free of charge. It’s also been spayed and vaccinated.”

“What?! What makes you assume that we’re getting a cat?”

“You’ve been with Treble for an awfully long time; four hours at least. Besides, barely anyone comes here just for the coffee; it’s not even that good. Oh well, it’s your decision.”

The employee left.

Kanae stood there with her mouth agape; she was speechless. Then, she suddenly felt sorry for not only the cat, but also for Beethoven. Would he eventually end up like that cat? Where nobody wanted him, because he could no longer hear? Although the thought seemed silly, it’s probably what was currently going through his mind.

Kanae then went to Beethoven, and tapped him on the shoulder. She said, “Beethes?”

Beethoven gave Kanae his attention. “Yes, girl?”

“Did you want to take the cat home?”

Beethoven was shocked. He said, “What? You mean, take this cat back to the mansion? With us?”

“Well, obviously. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that you like the thing. Also, if we don’t take the cat home, you’ll just be miserable, and then start complaining. I’m allowing you a pet; however, on one condition…”

“Yes?”

“I am not responsible for the animal; it is your responsibility to feed, and clean up after it. If you cannot financially support the cat, then we’ll be forced to give it back. So, Beethes, what do you say? Do you want it, or not?”

One hour later, Kanae and Beethoven were taking Treble home in a cardboard carrier. Beethoven used his own money to buy basic necessities for the cat as they journeyed back to the mansion. Aside from chores, the man needed more responsibility, but he also needed a friend who understood everything about him. He needed a companion by his side that would always be there for him, even on days when it felt like the world was ending.

Treble would always be there. As would Kanae.

Beethoven said, “Let’s go on a date tomorrow. I know what we can do.”

_Chapter 12 is next…_


	12. Date #2

Schubert had – yet again – turned himself into a trout; and unfortunately, he’d been taken from the shores of Australia by a couple of scientists, scoping out the area via scuba diving. The boring trout was not sought after by the researchers; he was accidentally whisked away with a few cuddle fish.

Later, he found himself in a tank with the cuddle fish. One by one, they were being examined. At risk, of being sliced open by a scalpel, Shubert escaped through the plumbing. He wound up back into the ocean, but then accidentally caught again by Japanese marine biologists. Days passed, and he was in a strange building, swimming about in a smaller tank. He scanned the area, and noticed researchers taking notes of starfish. Judging by the people in the room, he was definitely back in Japan, but was unsure of where.

Not caring, just looking for a way out, Schubert escaped from his tank and entered the nearest sink’s piping. Minutes of swimming through endless plumbing, the trout finally discovered an opening.

He entered a large tank cramped with life. The tank itself was a bright blue and hundreds of a very specific sea creature littered the area. He was in a sea of jellyfish, and the first thing that came to Schubert’s mind was panic. He wasn’t a small trout, so one wrong move, could be a fatal blow. He hit the heads of jellyfish as he attempted to pass through the tight spaces. He had to figure a way out, or he was sure to end up dead and as food.

The trout said, “How am I going to get out of this one? Senpai, if you were in my position, what would you do? I have to think. I have to think like Senpai.” Schubert bounced off the heads of more jellyfish, and just missing hoards of tentacles. He had to find an escape route as soon as possible; another drain or something. Where was he anyways? “This world is so cruel to me. First a kite, then I turned myself into a fish, got caught by weird people twice, and now here I am amongst a school of jellyfish. If I don’t get out of here, I’ll never see my Senpai again.”

Suddenly, Schubert hit something clear and solid. He swore under his breath before gazing forwards, noticing that he’d hit glass. He peered into the darkness and noticed dozens of warm bodies, examining his area. Smart as he was, Schubert deducted that he was in a large tank of some sort, and if he were amongst a certain species, he had to be at either a research facility or aquarium. He looked harder, and saw children, and a sign that indicated that this was the city’s public aquarium. The signage was also very familiar, meaning that he’d been amongst the public here before. Yes, at last, he was home. Now, he not only needed to find a permanent way out, but also to find a way to turn back into a human. Maybe it was a time factor?

Schubert scoped through the glass once more. His eyes widened when he discovered a very familiar body sitting on a bench that faced the jellyfish.

 “Senpai?”

Beethoven, with his legs and arms crossed, was gawking into the tank, carefully watching the creatures gracefully move within the neon-blue waters that gave the jellyfish a beautiful orange glow. He looked a little tense. Maybe there was something bothering him?

Schubert swam excitedly, “Senpai – oh Senpai! At last, I’ve found you,” he said, fully knowing that the man he worshipped could not hear his cries. He continued to weep with happiness, until he was taken aback by another familiar sight alongside Beethoven. “Is that…Kanae? The landlady? Are they alone with each other?!”

* * *

 

For their second date, Beethoven took Kanae to the aquarium. He stumbled upon it long ago, when he first started fishing recreationally. There were too many fish – which excited him – and at the end of the day, he thoroughly enjoyed his experience. He read the plaques of almost every sea creature that could be observed behind clear walls. He was here two years ago, and wondered if anything had drastically changed. The answer was no, but at least he could appreciate his stay again with company.

It was a Thursday night. Thursdays at the city’s aquarium were generally busy, thus the couple didn’t spend too much time in a single room due to the loud noises from the crowds; however, they still took their time to relish in the sights and sounds. They observed all kinds of aquatic sea creatures – from sharks to clownfish – and tried their best to read each species information cards. Eventually, they took a break in a darker area, where hundreds of jellyfish resided. On a crowded bench, they sat shoulder to shoulder beside each other, looking slightly uncomfortable, mostly due to the touch. Beethoven looked at Kanae. He said:

“How do you like it? I mean, how do you like it here? Is it more romantic?”

“Hardly romantic,” Kanae responded, “But on the contrary, I haven’t been here since I was five. Since then, there have been extreme changes, so this experience is quite refreshing. Is this your first time here? What made you pick this place?”

“This’ll be my second time,” Beethoven said, “I was here two years ago. Everything is pretty much the same…except for the sea turtles. At the time, I was told that the sea turtles were extremely shy, so I didn’t see them.”

Kanai giggled to herself, “Those sea turtles were something, huh? I can’t believe I fed Bok Choi to a turtle.” Kanae then looked to her right and noticed the aquarium’s facility map. She said, “We’re only halfway through. I remember there being an area where we could pet sting rays.”

“Yes,” Beethoven said, “The sting rays are still to come, but first, I would like to watch the jellyfish a little bit longer. I haven’t appreciated them long enough.”

Kanae smiled. Same old Beethes. She said, “Yeah, we can still look. Just let me know when you’re ready.” Then, Kanae gasped. She saw something out of place inside the tank.

* * *

 

Schubert exclaimed, “Where are the others? Where are Motes? Liszt? Chopin? Where are they?”

“Hey buddy,” said a harsh voice.

The trout took a quick glance to his right and noticed an irritated jellyfish. It said, “They’re probably on a date. The only people who come here are families, tourists and couples; it’s most likely the latter. I mean, they don’t look like siblings, do they?”

That was true.

There was a brief pause, before Shubert screamed, “WHAT?! IT’S JUST THEM?! When did they suddenly become a couple?!”

Then, Beethoven stood up. Kanae did the same. Beethoven took the onus to continue into the next room, with his date trailing a few steps behind. Whilst looking around, Schubert said to the jellyfish, “Is there a way to follow them?”

“What’s it to you? Are you trying to impede with the birds and the bees?”

“Just tell me!”

“There are pipes on the left that lead into the next tank and so forth. You can observe them as they go along. Good luck.” The jellyfish swam away, and within seconds, another jellyfish took its place.

The trout heeded the jellyfish’s words, and carefully swam to a lone pipe. It was a tight squeeze, but Schubert managed to wiggle himself inside the pipe and let the rushing waters push him into the next tank.

The next tank was incredibly larger, and this time, filled with all sorts of life. There were too many to name, but it was overwhelming to say the least. Within the crowds, Schubert peered through the glass, and found Kanae and Beethoven reading a plaque about the northern pike. They were still shoulder to shoulder, and for a brief moment, it looked like Kanae was ready to slip her hand into Beethoven’s open palm, but decided against it. Schubert breathed a sigh of relief. How could his Senpai adhere to love of any kind with a woman? It was he who were to claim the man. He had feelings too!

After reading, Beethoven said something to Kanae. Then, they continued, and Schubert followed. His stomach dropped when he noticed Beethoven grasping Kanae’s wrist. She was getting lost in the crowd, and getting separated in a large mess was out of the question. As they journeyed from area to area, it was evident that for some reason, Beethoven was still clutching onto Kanae’s wrist. He couldn’t let go; and although Kanae’s face was a deep shade of red, it looked like she didn’t mind one bit.

After two hours of closely observing the dating couple, Shubert watched Beethoven and Kanae play with the pool of diamond shaped sting rays from afar. His heart broke, when he saw something unexpected.

* * *

 

Beethoven had let go of Kanae’s wrist long past. Like his first time at the aquarium, he was overly excited in the presence of the stingrays. One of the workers was swimming in the shallow waters with food for the rays in hand. He then placed the food in each person’s palm as he walked by and showed them how to feed the animals. In childhood, Kanae had been wary of stingrays, and she was still cautious today. Sensing her unease, without hesitation, Beethoven helped Kanae by lightly grasping her hand, and placing it flat underwater; allowing the many stingrays to feed from her palm. After the feeding, Beethoven released Kanae’s hand from the cold waters, but his hand was still lightly wrapped around hers. Kanae thought to herself as she observed the golden opportunity:

_“This is it, Kanae. Take the opportunity now while it’s in your grasp. Beethes isn’t a mind reader, he’s not going to make the first move. But, what if it’s the wrong thing to do? What if he rejects my actions? Oh boy, that would be a long walk home…but I do wonder what it would feel like if I did hold his hand? It’s probably warm. I must do it! Do it, Kanae! Muster up the courage! Woman up!”_

Using that courage, Kanae wrapped her fingers around Beethoven’s and squeezed. He gasped in surprise and instantly turned red; butterflies burst in his stomach, and fluttered through every vein in his body; he froze, and he felt as if his spirit was slowly being pulled out of him. Is this what true love felt like? “Kanae…” Beethoven managed to say, before trailing off.

Then, they locked eyes. Kanae’s light brown eyes instantly struck a chord. Were her eyes always this beautiful? How did he not appreciate their beauty before? Beethoven then said, “Let’s go.”

They left the vicinity hand in hand, leaving Shubert – the trout – a little heartbroken; but, would a little rejection stop him from perusing his Senpai? No! Shubert began looking for another way out.

* * *

 

On the way home, Beethoven was on the verge of beating up some punk that tried hitting on Kanae. After the second loud vulgar remark about Kanae’s gorgeous legs, Beethoven had grabbed the younger man’s shirt and lifted him off his feet. Beethes then went on a tangent about gyoza. Apparently, he was comparing Kanae and music to gyoza; again, hardly a romantic situation.

“Let go of me, man!”

Unfortunately, Beethoven’s singlemindedness refrained him from doing as blatantly requested. “Gyoza is the embodiment of beauty! It should be stuffed carefully, and with boundless love! It may be rough after frying like an A# minor signature, but the inside should be fluffy like the gorgeous sound of the grand staff! Such a brilliant creation must not be mocked or taken lightly.” He then growled and grasped the kid’s shirt tighter. “Grr, music, music, music, music! What would this world be without music, and gyoza! Such beautiful creations!”

Kanae started thinking that this wasn’t about her at all. “This is getting ridiculous,” she said.

Still growling, Beethoven pulled the young man closer to his body. Their noses were inches apart. Beethoven gave a terrible glare. He aggressively murmured, so that Kanae couldn’t hear, “Just because I wasn’t being remotely intimate with her, doesn’t give you the green light to say or do whatever disgusting things you want. You just ruined my perfect date. What should I do? Break your hand? Your fingers one by one? Go ahead, I’ll let you make the decision.” He gawked at the sky, “Music, music, musiiiiiiiiiic!”

Kanae shouted, “Beethes, let go of him! He doesn’t need any lectures about gyoza! You can obsess over it when we get home!”

“I’ll be thinking about you when I get lucky. I’ll…” –

Kanae continued, beyond irritated, “Beethes, let go of him! He’s not worth your time!”

Immediately, Beethoven dropped the younger man. He gave the punk one last murderous look before quickly merging his hand with Kanae’s. They left.

Kanae said whilst blushing, “What was that all about, Beethes?”

“Our second date is over. Have you made a decision?”

“Well,” Kanae said, looking down, “Our hands are kind of intertwined right now.”

“Do you like it?”

Kanae answered, “Beethes, why did you compare me to gyoza? It’s the weirdest comparison ever. It sounded like you know…you were planning to…um…oh I can’t say it!”

“Fuck you?”

“NO! I mean, yes!”

Beethoven laughed deep within his throat. He said, sort of nervous, “You were mistaken. I was comparing gyoza and music to you. Kanae, you’re beautiful, and everything I’ve said about you before has not changed. I need to know now; do you want to have a boyfriend – girlfriend relationship with me? I will protect you from stupid people, and treat you like a goddess. I know there are things you still don’t like about me, but would that really be the thing holding you back? And if you are still unsure, maybe you could humour me?”

Kanae stopped. Beethoven did the same. He said, slightly concerned, “Girl, what’s wrong?”

Kanae thought hard for a moment. At her age, dating was a serious subject, it was not a game. Finally, after a minute of internal dilemma, Kanae gave Beethoven her answer by quickly pulling herself onto her tippy toes and briefly kissing his cheek. She immediately walked away, leaving a completely frozen Beethoven in the dust. She said, “We can start with that. I hope that was a satisfactory answer.”

_Chapter 13 is next…_


	13. The Dangerous Side of Musik

“Kanae, how did it go!?”

Shortly after Kanae’s aquarium date with Beethoven, she decided to take a quick step out of the mansion and pay Sousuke a visit. Beethoven offered, several times – no, he demanded – to accompany her after their earlier encounter with some scumbag, but Kanae insisted that she’d be alright. She assured the man that she was carrying her cell phone, so if she were in any potential trouble, Beethoven would be the first to know.

Kanae spilt every detail to Sousuke in his room. She told him about the date in general, and that she liked it. She also lightly mentioned the conflict between Beethoven and a random lowlife encounter on the street. After Kanae’s seemingly endless story, Sousuke tossed her the million-dollar question, “Kanae, despite what happened after the date, I’m glad for you that it all worked out. So, what did you decide about your relationship with Beethes-san? I hope you’re still not making him wait.”

Kanae said, “No, I made my decision earlier.”

“And?!”

“I’m entering a romantic relationship with Beethes.” She moved her gaze to the floor. “We’re going to give it a try.”

“That’s great,” Sousuke exclaimed, “I’m so happy for you both. I knew it! I saw this ship coming from a mile away. Even back in the day!”

Kanae cocked her head to the side. She said, “What do you mean by ‘back in the day?’”

Sousuke said, “Well, ever since you rejected Beethes three years ago, he…” –

Kanae quickly interjected, “Wait! You knew about his feelings too?!”

Sousuke lightly chuckled. He rubbed the back of his neck as he said, “A long, long time ago, Beethes subtly mentioned his feelings towards you. Once he realized that he’d spilt the beans to his crush’s childhood friend, he kind of bribed and threatened me at the same time.”

Kanae sighed. She said, “Oh Sousuke, I have no idea what I’m doing. Beethes will be my first boyfriend. I don’t even know where to start with our relationship.”

Sousuke replied, “Well, I don’t think I can help you much. I’ve never had a girlfriend, so my suggestions may be a little pointless. All I know is that this relationship mumbo jumbo involves deep secrets, companionship and intimacy. You know, romantic stuff!”

Kanae slightly smiled. “Romantic, huh? Don’t make me laugh. Beethes is far from romantic. The music period he came from is as close to romantic as he’s ever going to get.”

“Well, he’s trying really hard. At least give him that much.” Sousuke then offered, “You know, you could always kick things off by watching a movie at home together; Beethes and you, I mean. Yes, that’s it! That’s a great idea! Just you and him on the couch. It could definitely spark some interest. Kanae, you and Beethes are going to be a couple now. You’re going to be alone together more often, tell each other your darkest secrets, and eventually, you’ll start kissing and…” –

“Whatever,” Kanae changed the subject, “I brought some chips and popcorn. Want to watch our own movie? I – I think I just need a regular friend right now. I don’t want to think.”

Sousuke added, “Yeah, some days I don’t feel like thinking either. Oh, I have tons of movies. I…” –

Suddenly, Kanae’s cellphone vibrated in her back pocket. She took the phone out and gawked at the screen. It was Beethoven. He texted her.

Sousuke said with a sleek smile, “Who’s texting you, Kanae?” By the way Sousuke had delivered that statement, it was safe to assume that he already knew. She gawked at the phone again. The text read: **“Are you there yet? Safe?”**

The butterflies in Kanae’s stomach resurfaced. She replied: **“Yes, I’m with Sousuke now.”**

After her reply, Kanae put her phone away. “Yeah, it was Beethes. Now, let’s watch a movie or I’m leaving.”

As friends often did, Sousuke and Kanae not only played a movie, but also talked over the noise. Least to say, they enjoyed each other’s company; the thought sort of bummed Kanae out. If her and Beethes were going to see more of each other, it was obvious that she would be seeing less of Sousuke. She hoped that her new relationship wouldn’t break their connection.

After Kanae’s four hour visit with Sousuke, she texted Beethoven: **“I’m coming home now.”**

Her cellphone vibrated. Beethoven had texted her back…only it wasn’t Beethoven. Somebody else had answered his phone. It read: **“Little kitten!”** it was Liszt, obviously. **“You’d better come back quick and mediate the situation!”**

Kanae furrowed her brows. She texted back: **“Mediate what situation?”**

Then she ran.

* * *

 

Kanae burst through the mansion’s front doors, and oh boy, was there a spectacle to behold. Music notes and other assortments of music theory, violently spun throughout the house. Dark, wretched colors, skeletons, ghosts, king penguins, and mecha created from small household items, created havoc within the wooden walls. No doubt this was musik; however, it didn’t sound fun. The familiar pieces sounded awfully angry. Kanae examined the living room further and noticed that the musik was causing extensive damage to the house’s interior.

Kanae said furiously, “What the hell is going on here?!”

“Little kitten,” shouted a familiar voice. It was Liszt. She was dressed in her musik outfit, and sounded absolutely exhausted. “It’s Beethes and Motes. They’re fighting!”

Kanae gasped. “Fighting?! Those two? But why? Why are they fighting?”

Liszt answered, “I don’t know, little kitten. We asked Beethes about the date. He told us everything, and once he – sort of – announced that you guys were an item, Motes flipped through the roof! They started arguing about things Cho-chan and I didn’t quite understand. Then, some remarks were made, and then they unleashed their musik due to high emotions. And now this is the result; chaos! I tried stopping it with my own musik, but there’s so much going on, I was unable to spread any love!”

Kanae exclaimed, “Where’s Beethes and Motes?! Eek!” A ghost whirled past Kanae’s head. She screamed, “Get away! Get away!”

Liszt then took Kanae’s hand and led her into the ballroom. What she observed was Musik, but it wasn’t beautiful; it was a mess. Her organ was transformed into the usual giant pink robot, and was at war with an oversized skeleton with searing blue fire surrounding the entirety of its form. The skeleton and pink mecha’s hands were already interlocked, and they were pushing against each other, trying to make a move; but alas, they held each other back.

Hundreds of tiny pink ghosts swooped down at an equivalent number of king penguins, whom were tearing the ballroom apart while trying to fend off the ghosts. Again, the numbers and different variations of music that accompanied the musik made the scene uncomfortable and intense. In a lump sum, Kanae could only describe the scene as angry and haunting.

Kanae then gawked straight forwards and noticed Mozart and Beethoven – in their musik attire – fist fighting. Mozart threw a punch, but Beethoven quickly ducked, and decked him. Before intervening, Kanae quickly examined the men in further detail. Beethoven’s body was covered in blue flame, but he seemed immune to its effects. He was also bleeding from the forehead. Streams of blood could also be seen running down his wrist and falling off his fingertips. He was injured somewhere on the arm, but Kanae couldn’t point out the location due to Beethoven’s black clothing. Mozart was pretty banged up himself. He was nowhere near bleeding like Beethoven was, but he was black and blue almost everywhere. Judging by the punch from Beethoven that Kanae had just witnessed, she figured that Beethoven’s arm could do a load of damage. Both parties looked angry, frustrated, and exhausted.

Kanae moved closer. She listened in on their bickering:

Beethoven said in Mozart’s direction, “Good Lord! How many times do I have to apologize to you? What more do you want me to say to that thick head of yours? I feel like I’m talking to a brick wall!”

Mozart shouted back, “Oh yeah? How many times do I have to remind you that saying sorry isn’t enough for me!”

Then, from the ground, Mozart angrily swung his baton. Sharp pink notes flew towards Beethoven, and didn’t miss their target. The musik cut through Beethoven’s sleeve on his opposite arm, his skin opened, and tiny streams of blood poured out immediately. Beethoven winced as the searing pain overwhelmed his body. He let go of his baton, and it dropped to the ground with a large _TING._

Beethoven exclaimed, “You, stop being a whiny little bitch, and – god damn that hurts! Ngn!” He then clenched his teeth. “And now both of my arms are messed up thanks to you.”

Mozart hopped to his feet. He retorted, “Oh? Who’s the whiny bitch here? Who’s the one who’s been moody lately and keeping secrets from everyone? Oh yes, he’s right in front of me!”

“Stubborn!”

“Liar!”

Although painful, Beethoven snatched his baton up from the floor boards. He then raised the item in his grasp towards the ceiling. He summoned more musik in order to conduct the pink mecha. It jumped away from the flame covered skeleton and stretched out its arms, creating a fierce beam of light that quickly morphed into an electric guitar. Constant flashes of blue and white light soared across the room, targeting the skeleton only.

In defense, Mozart also waved his baton, and two other giant flaming skeletons appeared out of thin air. Before the light met its target, the skeletons opened their mouths and swallowed the attack as if it were a black hole. As soon as the light ceased to exist, the other two skeletons took the opportunity to make their move. They grasped the pink mecha’s limbs and ripped them to pieces.

Due to its injuries, the pink mecha fell backwards onto the hard wood. Large gusts of wind – created by the fall – sent everyone inside the ballroom flying. Mozart hit the ground several times before rolling to a stop, face first. Mozart’s skeletons grew tired – also due to exhaustion – and they moaned before disappearing. Beethoven’s back and head hit the nearest wall, immediately rendering him unconscious; his limp body slid to the floor. Kanae maybe twisted her ankle, but other than that, her and Liszt were unharmed.

Liszt said, “Little kitten, are you alright?”

Kanae assessed the damage. On the bright side of things, the house was mildly damaged. Lights would need to be replaced, along with some of the flooring. There were only small things to fix, but the cost to replace everything added up rather quickly.

Forgetting about the mansion, Kanae took another glance around the room. She discovered Mozart, who hadn’t moved much. She scurried over to his side and examined his injuries. There were bruises – obviously from the conflict – floor burns, and his wrist was broken, but otherwise, he was fine. He was breathing and his lack of movement was just plain exhaustion. Kanae started:

“Motes, are you alright?”

Mozart huffed, “No, I’m angry.”

“What happened here?” Kanae questioned, as she helped Mozart into a sitting position.

Mozart did not answer Kanae; instead, he looked away and counted the cracks in the hardwood.  Kanae said in a serious tone of voice, “Motes, whatever is going on between you and Beethes has to get resolved now…peacefully. You have to express your feelings in a civil manner and figure out how the situation can be solved. What happened tonight is not the right way to settle disputes. Can you and Beethes have a conversation without blowing a gasket?”

Mozart nursed his wrist. He answered, “I guess I can.”

“Sit tight. I’ll go get my first aid kit.” Kanae then hopped to her feet and journeyed towards Liszt, who’d just moved Beethoven from a sitting positing to a laying one. She was also assessing his injuries. Kanae said to Liszt, “Is everything all right over here? How is he?”

Liszt answered, “Poor man. He’s got head injuries. There’s also a couple of cuts on his arms, but they’re very shallow.”

Kanae said, “I saw the cut on his forehead earlier.”

Liszt showed Kanae her hand, which was stained red. “His head and body made impact with the wall during the wind gust, causing the back of his head to bleed out, but It seems to have stopped now; however, I don’t know how much longer he’ll be unconscious for.”

Kanae grew worried. He wasn’t moving at all, and his chest was barely rising and falling. Who knew that musik could be so violent? She’s seen many musik battles before, but this was war. “Is he breathing okay?”

“Yes, little kitten,” Liszt assured, “he’s breathing normally. He’s just unconscious. We’ll have to monitor him carefully and hope that things don’t take a drastic turn.”

Kanae said, “Okay, I’ll go and get medical supplies now.”

* * *

 

Mozart was sitting at the kitchen table with a sling wrapped around his shoulder and arm. He had transformed back into his everyday clothing. He was as white as a ghost – mostly due to the shock of a broken bone – and his pink hair was dishevelled. Kanae was tempted to find a hairbrush and fix the pink mess, but there were other things to address first. With her hands on her hips, Kanae said:  

“Motes, I need to know what happened? I want to know your side of the story.”

Mozart said in a sluggish manner, “Are you mad at me?”

Kanae replied, “What kind of question is that? Isn’t it obvious? I am mad at you; in fact, I’m angry at the both of you. You two savages are always finding a way to destroy the mansion that I’m trying to protect! Why couldn’t you guys have taken this outside?”

Mozart shrugged, “I don’t know, Kanae. We weren’t exactly thinking.” –

“You never do.” –

“Hey, we couldn’t think because we were overwhelmed with emotion, okay?!”

Kanae grumbled, “So, what caused this mess in the first place?”

Mozart paused momentarily before saying, “We asked Lud-kun how the date went. He said it was fine. He then told us about where you guys went and the scum bag that you both encountered at the end of the night, but he said nothing about your guys’ relationship. A week ago, I remembered him saying that you were going to make a decision after the second date, and I was just interested, so I asked him about that. He didn’t answer me well, so I challenged him, and demanded to know why he was being secretive about the whole thing. Then, sarcastically, he said that he was sorry, and also said that it was none of my business. I kind of got offended by that remark, and without thinking, brought up his hearing loss.”

“Motes…”

“I said some nasty things to him, so it’s no wonder why he got mad. We traded some verbal blows, before our emotions got the best of us, and we unleashed Musik. We tried to take each other down. I was only trying to knock some sense into him. I wanted him to tell me the truth.” The pink man then sniffled. He was on the verge of weeping. He said, “Why, Kanae? Why does it hurt so much? I thought that Lud-kun and I were best friends. Why is he always so secretive and hiding important things from me? Why, Kanae?”

Kanae replied, “I don’t know, Motes. I don’t have all of the answers. Right now, I only know Beethes as well as you do. Those are questions that you’ll have to ask him yourself. But don’t fret. Once he wakes up, we’ll rectify the situation right away. Then, you two can go back to being best friends. Listen, all friends fight and have their differences, but it’s also how they make their bonds grow stronger.”

Mozart gawked at the surface of the table. Kanae was right. Friends did fight. They had to kiss and make up before they burned more bridges. He asked, concerned for his friend’s wellbeing, “Is Lud-kun okay? He hit that wall pretty hard.”

Kanae said, “He’s on the couch in the living room. Still unconscious, but he’s breathing perfectly normal. If he doesn’t…” –

“LITTLE KITTEN!” Liszt shouted from the living room, “HE’S WAKING UP!”

Kanae ran from the kitchen and into the living room to greet Liszt. She then looked at Beethoven and noticed that Liszt had done a good job of cleaning his wounds. Patches of his white hair were still stained red, but that would quickly go away in time.

When Beethoven was fully awake, Liszt said to him, “Oh, how’re you feeling?”

Beethoven responded, “My head is pounding, and my ears feel like they are bleeding. I’ve probably damaged them for good.” The man then shifted his eyes upwards and noticed Kanae hovering over him with a nasty scowl plastered onto her face; obviously, there was a lack of concern for the man.

“You and Motes need to talk. Now!”

* * *

 

At the kitchen table, Beethoven and Mozart sat across from each other. Their mediators – Liszt and Kanae – sat between them. Mozart – now with an icepack against his cheek – gave Beethoven an unfriendly glare. On the other hand, Beethoven looked back at Mozart dazed and confused. It was awfully obvious that Beethoven had a concussion, and that they had to get both parties to the hospital, but unfortunately, the tension between fighting friends had to be resolved today. Kanae started:

“I’m disappointed in you both,” she growled, “I leave the house for a few hours, and what do I come home to? A war! Now the house has to undergo more repairs. You are also lucky that you didn’t hurt others during your little spat. Besides, you two of all people should know better! Your Musik isn’t meant to be used as a weapon!”

Beethoven said, “It isn’t the first time we’ve engaged in battle with Musik.”

Kanae quickly replied, “That was self defense! This is different. You attacked a fellow comrade free willingly.”

Then, simultaneously, Beethoven and Mozart aimed a finger at each other’s faces. They said in unison, **“He started it!”**

Kanae felt like a mother scolding her two children. This was getting ridiculous. She said, “Look, I don’t care who started it. I want to know what lead to the destruction of my mansion!” She looked back at Beethoven, and said, “Motes told me his side. Now, it’s yours.”

Beethoven squinted. “What did he tell you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Tell me!” She then turned to Mozart, “And don’t interrupt him!”

Beethoven leaned back into his chair and crossed his arms. He said, “I came home, and naturally, everyone asked me how our date went. I said it went well. I was tired and I wanted to go to bed.” –

Mozart interrupted, “LIAR!”

“MOTES!” Kanae shouted.

Calmly, Beethoven continued, “I was tired, so avoiding further questions, I went into brief detail about everything that happened during our date; I ended the conversation there. That’s when Wolf piped up, and asked about whether we had a boyfriend – girlfriend relationship now. Unfortunately, I had some internal conflict with myself and at last didn’t think it my place to tell everyone willy-nilly. I wanted Kanae and I to talk about it further, and then announce it as a duo, so I didn’t give a satisfactory answer. That’s when Wolf accused me of keeping secrets.”

Kanae mentioned, “Well, to be fair, you did keep your hearing loss a secret to everyone else. It wasn’t fair that Motes found out the way he did, especially when it came to your health. We all care about you, and I think that’s why Motes is mad.”

Beethoven replied, “Whatever.”

Kanae shook her head. “Now, Motes admitted to me that he said some things to you that were uncalled for, and I can assume that you did the same to him.” There was silence. Kanae continued more gently, “Beethes, tell the truth. Please, you’re not in trouble.”

Beethoven answered, “I did say some things.”

Satisfied with that answer, Kanae directed her attention towards Mozart, “Motes, what do you want from Beethes?”

“An apology.”

Instantly, Beethoven slammed his fists against the table. Everyone, but Mozart jumped. “What?! I already gave you an apology; in fact, I’ve given you several! And yet, you won’t accept them! What more do you want!?”

“I want the truth.”

Beethoven was taken aback.

Mozart questioned, “Why did you keep your hearing loss to yourself? Did you tell Kanae first, because she was your love interest? Because she was more important? Or was it because you were forced to? I need to know the truth.”

Beethoven answered, “I told her because I was forced to,” He then glared at Kanae, “but I told her politely keep her mouth shut. I told the girl that I would deal with the repercussions between those at the house if it came to that.”

Kanae added, “And you did a terrible job, didn’t you?”

Beethoven said, “Wolf, at that time, I still hadn’t come to terms with my destiny. I dealt with it once before, and now, I have to go through it again. I had to think hard about how I could continue to live my life the way I wanted to with the addition of my deafness. My hearing loss isn’t something that will gradually decline over the years; no, I will probably lose my hearing completely within the next year. It’s quick. There’s little time. I had to look within myself and accept my fate before I could tell others. And I was starting to accept it. My intentions were to call a meeting and tell everyone at the same time, but it seemed that fate liked to toy with me, and forced me to tell people sooner rather than on my own time. That is the truth, Wolf. It has nothing to do with you. It has everything to do with me.”

There was silence.

Finally, after biting hard on his bottom lip – and almost drawing blood – Mozart said, “Lud-kun, why? Why would you deal with something like this alone? I can’t imagine your internal struggle, and the thought that you’ll never be able to hear our voices and your musik again. But, you at least have me as a friend. Seriously, I may have a vulgar mouth, a dirty mind, and I don’t fully understand what you’re going through, but I wouldn’t hesitate to be there. You’ll always have a warm body to hug, and a shoulder to cry on. Lud-kun, you’re my best friend, and finding out about your hearing loss accidentally cut me deep. This is what I want. I don’t want there to be any more secrets. No more, okay? If you’ve got a problem, please, don’t deal with it alone. You have me, Kanae, Sousuke…you have all of us.”

Beethoven looked away. Mozart was definitely right. He was right about everything. There was no way Beethoven could argue with that lecture.

Kanae then interceded, “So, what do you have to say about that, Beethes?”

Beethoven sighed before saying, “You’re absolutely right. I’ve always been kind of secretive, haven’t I? I always think that I can deal with my own problems. Over the years, I’ve done it time and time again. I can partially blame it on my past life, because I was so used to being alone. Long term companionship never sat well with me. But Wolf, today, you’ve made me realize that I can’t do this on my own, not again; so, from now on, there will be no more secrets between us, and I can start by saying that Kanae and I have entered a romantic relationship.” Then, he realized what he’d just said. He was supposed to talk to her about this first, right? “Well, um, we’re just starting obviously,” He blushed, “No more secrets.”

Motes said, “I apologize too for saying all that nasty stuff to you. You didn’t deserve it.”

“As do I.”

“A clean slate? Starting now?”

“Yes, I second that.”

Then, there was an awkward silence in the room. Kanae said, irritated, “So, are you guys going to hug and kiss now, or what?”

“No,” Beethoven said immediately.

Mozart said playfully, “Ohhh, Lud-kun! Don’t be like that. You know that you want hugs and kisses from the most handsome man in the universe.”

“Not yet.”

Mozart said, puzzled, “Huh? Why not.”

Beethoven suddenly felt very sick. “I’m on the verge of passing out due to my injuries.” He then attempted to stand up, but immediately staggered forwards. His abdomen had hit the table.

“Beethes,” Kanae shouted as she grabbed his arm and shoved him back into the chair. “Okay,” she said, “We’re going to the hospital now. Motes, you’re coming too.”

“Awwwe, why?”

“Because you’ve got a broken hand, that’s why! Jesus, you all act just like children.”

_Chapter 14 is next…_


	14. A Harsher Critic

“K-Kanae.”

After hearing the stutter, Kanae looked up from her breakfast, and observed Beethoven standing alongside her. He looked stiff and nervous. Not only that, he also looked like he’d just woken up. His hair was messier than usual, he yawned once or twice, and he was still dressed for bed. His only pillow was also tucked under his arm pit. Kanae had no idea why, but judging by his anxious body language, maybe the pillow was used as a source of comfort. After quickly examining Beethoven, Kanae didn’t hesitate to jump out of her seat and reach for him. She yelled:

“Beethes, what are you doing up?!”

Beethoven answered quietly, “I couldn’t sleep anymore.”

Kanae retorted, “That’s not what I meant, Beethes! You have a concussion, and the doctor prescribed you some medication, sleep and constant rest. You can’t move much.”

Beethoven waved his arms. He said back, “Well, then what am I supposed to do when I can’t sleep? Stare at the wall when I could be making German fries and Gyoza.”

“Why don’t you ask for a cup of coffee too while you’re at it.” Kanae then sighed, “In any case, you’re moving about now, so why don’t you take a seat, and then we’ll get you back to bed.”

“No, I feel like standing,” answered Beethoven.

Kanae inhaled. Why bother getting angry with these people anymore? Besides, her and Beethoven were just starting their relationship. Picking fights this early would be bad taste. “What do you want, Beethes?”

Beethoven immediately tensed up. This was definitely out of the ordinary. On any day, Beethoven wouldn’t hesitate to ask or tell her anything. His questions were mostly whether he could start fires in certain areas in and out of the house. It didn’t matter anyway, for if Kanae said ‘no’ to any of his requests, he’d go and do it anyway; so, why did he seem so nervous?

Kanae said, “Beethes, you’re shaking! Are you cold?”

“N-no,” Beethoven said, “I just want to ask you something.” –

“Well, what is it?”

Beethoven scratched the back of his head. “W-well, you see…I was wondering – well, I’m working on some repertoire for the royal conservatory.” –

Kanae interjected, “Music repertoire? Wait, repertoire are actual pieces that would be licensed to the conservatory! But I thought you said that you only compose small exercise pieces for beginners and small children?”

Beethoven continued, “Well, it seems that they liked my studies so much that they asked me nicely if I could compose a two-page repertoire for grade five level piano students. And, well, I finished the first draft last night.” –

“BEETHES! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO BE RESTING!” Kanae scolded.

Beethoven shrugged. “Yeah – well – I was _supposed_ to be, but I could only sleep so much, so I thought that I’d use some time to work. And yeah – I finished it. So, I was wondering…could you listen to it?”

Kanae thought, _“What? That’s what he wanted to say? Then why does he look so nervous?”_

Beethoven gave Kanae a few seconds to respond, but when she failed to answer him, he prodded, “Kanae? Did you hear me?” –

“Beethes,” said Kanae.

“Y-yes?”

“Why are you so edgy about asking me to listen to the music you wrote? Was it really that hard? I mean, I’ve listened to you play several times. It’s fantastic. Why would this be any different?”

Beethoven scratched his cheek. “Oh – umm – well to be honest, I’m kind of anxious because I’ve never let anyone listen to my music in its beginning stages. And since you are one of the most honest people that I know, I want to know what you think. It’s kind of a personal situation too with us being a couple and all.”

Kanae smiled. She knew that there was more to Beethoven’s answer, but she’d let it slide. Kanae said, “Beethes, we’ve been together for almost half a day, so I would hardly call ourselves a couple, but yeah, I’d love to listen to your stuff.”

Beethoven felt as if bricks had been lifted from his shoulders. He said, “Come to the living room when you’ve finished eating.” Then, he left.

* * *

 

Twenty minutes later, Kanae found herself sitting on the living room couch next to the piano. Papers and pencils littered the surrounding area, and nearly all of it was Beethoven’s mess. No one else in the house still composed, and Liszt memorized the majority of her pieces that she played at piano bars, so space near and on the piano was free real estate.

Beethoven was now dressed in his usual getup, playing a small, recognizable piece as a warmup mostly to rid of his nerves before playing in front of Kanae. The woman wasn’t that musical, so he hoped that her critique wasn’t too blatantly honest. Sometimes, those who had no musical background what-so-ever were harsher critics than examination adjudicators who knew music like the back of their hand.

Just before Beethoven could make contact with the keyboard, Kanae said, “What’s the piece called?”

Beethoven replied, “Sonatina in F-minor.”

“That’s it?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Okay, you can continue then...” –

“No,” Beethoven said, shaking his head, “What don’t you like about the title of the piece? And be honest! I need critique.” Kanae was surprised at Beethoven’s reaction. She’d never seen this side of him before. The eccentric and dramatic side was temporarily muted, and an overly serious version of his musical personality had taken over.

Kanae said, “Mm, it just seems like it’s getting lost amongst the other pieces. I looked through some of your old material and noticed that although your music carries longer names that I don’t quite understand, they are also condensed, so that people like me can associate the tune with the title; for example: Moonlight Sonata, Springtime Sonata, Kreutzer, Pastorale, Pathetique, and so on and so forth. Don’t get me wrong Beethes, you can call your piece whatever the hell you want, but maybe a condensed and more memorable title that coincides with the music itself will be the very thing that differentiates your works from others.”

Beethoven blinked. That was different. “Oh, okay. I’ll definitely keep that in mind.” He then cleared his throat. “I’ll continue now.”

Beethoven placed his hands on the keyboard; thus, he began to play. The piece was angry, yet beautiful. Equivalent to the sound from his past works, the piece presented the listener with a wave of different emotions in just a few measures. It was obvious to Kanae that a lot of thought was put into this piece of art. The music didn’t seem forced or rushed. Kanae also had to remember that what she was currently listening to was only a draft, it was nowhere near being finished. If a first draft made her emotional, she couldn’t imagine the damage that the final product would do to her.

Beethoven also needed this critique. Kanae assumed that he was going to get the piece raked over the coals by professionals at the conservatory, so it needed to be almost perfect. Beethoven not only needed to capture the minds and hearts of the professionals, but also his audience. The audience were easier people to please, for they didn’t care about technique; they only cared about what was going into their ears, and hoping that it captivates them from start to finish.

When Beethoven had finished playing, Kanae responded by giving him a long, cute applause. With a friendly smile, Kanae said:

“That was very good, Beethes.” She continued clapping. “I liked it.”

Beethoven begged to differ. “What didn’t you like about it?”

“Huh?”

Beethoven said, “You liked it.” A brief pause, then, “If you didn’t love it, then there must be something wrong.”

Kanae said, “Beethes, it’s just a first draft…” –

“And be honest!”

Kanae took a moment to gather her thoughts before saying, “Honestly Beethes, it sounded good, but it’s very similar to your older material. I mean, the old stuff had variety like this, but I guess the style reminded me of a man named Ludwig Van Beethoven who lived and composed in Germany and Austria over two hundred years ago. In my opinion, I’d want it to sound more modern, while also keeping the classical feel and integrity. I understand that this is just an exam piece for students, but if you were ever thinking about writing a symphony or longer piece of repertoire, that idea might be something to consider. Beethes, you need to stand out from Ludwig Van Beethoven in Germany, and introduce us to the Ludwig Van Beethoven of today.”

Beethoven was flabbergasted. Kanae was right. The world already acknowledged the Ludwig Van Beethoven of the past as a virtuoso, and now he is dead. He needed to differentiate himself from his past self and introduce the world to a new genius.

Kanae continued, “I liked the melody though. I think that once you perfect it, people will no doubt remember it on their way to work or to the gym.”

Beethoven took a moment to let Kanae’s words sink in. After, he said, “Thank you for listening and giving some helpful advice. I can definitely work with that. Also, I was wondering if you would like to watch a movie tonight? Just you and me at the house? Everyone said they’re going out, so I thought I’d take the opportunity when it’s offered.”

Kanae raised a brow. She said, “Just like me, you’ve been talking to Sousuke too, haven’t you?”

Beethoven blushed before looking away. He said, “So, a movie then? At home?”

Kanae nodded. “I’d love that. Oh, and Beethes?”

“Yeah?”

“You play beautifully.”

Beethoven’s chest tightened. He wanted to run away.

_Chapter 15 is next..._


	15. Date #3

That day, Beethoven had handed in the first draft of new repertoire to the director of the conservatory. When it came to his music, he couldn’t remember the last time he’d been such a wreck. Of course, his nervousness did not show – for that would be unprofessional – but it did not mean that the emotions weren’t there.

In the next few days, the ‘masters of music’ would give their professional opinion on Beethoven’s potential examination piece. This was a big deal for Beethoven. If the piece exceeded expectations, he could achieve world recognition again, and earn better money that could go towards unpaid rent.

In the evening – when Beethoven returned from the conservatory – he didn’t bother changing out of his dress clothes; instead, he sat on the couch with five plates of German fries – that he made two hours prior – and waited in a mostly empty house. Earlier, Beethoven made a deal with the rest of the house in order to make sure that he and Kanae could achieve some alone time.

In present time, Beethoven felt a figure fall onto the couch next to him. It was Kanae. Without a word, the young woman immediately grabbed a full plate of Beethoven’s homemade German fries, and took a few bites. She worked hard today, and was famished; on a side note, Beethoven also refused to let Kanae eat anything during the day for fear that a full stomach would refrain her from trying one of his greatest creations.

After a while, Beethoven started, “So, how are they?”

Kanae stopped eating. She thought about the taste and consistency of what she was putting inside her mouth. “They’re pretty good. At first, I was hesitant, because I’m cautious on trying new things. I guess I keep forgetting that you’re a decent cook when you want to be.”

“Only when I’m passionate about it.”

“Your only cooking passions are gyoza and German fries, right?”

Beethoven looked at her, puzzled, “Gyoza? What’s that?”

Oh, yes, she forgot about his singlemindedness. “Never mind,” Kanae said, almost in a whisper.

“Huh? What did you say?”

Kanae quickly responded, “Oh – um – I said, what movie are we going to watch?”

“I don’t know,” Beethoven responded, “Nothing here peaks my interest. I don’t think these stupid superhero movies will give me the insight or inspiration that I always seek.”

Kanae slightly smiled. “Beethes, you don’t have to watch for the plot. You can just listen to the music, if you so choose. Besides, you should listen to the composers of today; they’re fabulous musicians! Especially movie composers such as John Williams and Hans Zimmer. At one time, those people studied your music; maybe you should return the favour and study theirs. You may find your insight and inspiration there.”

Beethoven briefly soaked in Kanae’s words. He placed his arms and hands into a thinking position, and gave a large, “Hmm…” He then said, “I think you’re right, but how can I listen to the music? I can barely hear you as it is. We need subtitles, so how could I possibly hear the music if I can barely hear voices?”

Kanae raised the remote, and aimed a finger at the volume button. “By blasting the volume, duh! Oh, don’t worry, Beethes. The noise from the television won’t damage your ears. Besides, it’s only for a couple of hours; it’ll be fine.”

Surprised, Beethoven also gave a slight nod of approval, before Kanae turned up the volume and selected one of her favourite movies, _Avatar_. Although the movie contained several flaws, she loved the idea of a make-believe world that contained very specific details, in order to give the viewer a magical and fulfilling experience. It gave her a once in a lifetime opportunity to see exactly what the director envisioned. The score was good as well.

Approximately an hour had passed, before Kanae turned to Beethoven for the first time. His eyes were closed. At first, Kanae was beyond irritated, believing that Beethoven was fast asleep, but upon further examination, she could see that he was wide awake, following her suggestion, and listening to the beautiful music. Every now and then, she would take several other glances to see his hands creating swaying motions. He was lost in the music; however, Kanae hoped that he wasn’t too lost, for the last thing she wanted was for him to unleash musik. To her, it was supposed to be a calm, musik free night; he also didn’t have his hearing protection on hand. –

Suddenly, as feared, Beethoven’s baton appeared in his right hand. Kanae needed to stop this. She quickly lunged forwards – dropping the plate of German fries – and grasped Beethoven’s shoulder. She violently jerked him out of his moment of bliss.

Beethoven then opened his eyes, and noticed his arms raised. His baton was still in hand, ready to unleash musik. After taking in his surroundings, Beethoven came to the conclusion that Kanae wanted none of it; which was understandable after enduring he and Mozart’s crazy music battle. It cost Kanae a hefty sum of money to get the house fixed, and he sort of felt bad, for she was in enough debt as it was. Her father was a real douche.

Beethoven lowered his hands. He said, “Oh…sorry.” He then took a glance at his baton that failed to disappear. “I – I – remembered something.”

Kanae said, “R-remember what, Beethes?”

“I’m…not sure, actually.”

When the movie had ended, Kanae proceeded to turn off the television. She said, “Did you enjoy the movie?”

Beethoven responded, “I enjoyed the music. The picture and dialogue itself are irrelevant.” He then crossed and uncrossed his arms, as if he were hesitant and unsure of something. His eyes then moved from Kanae’s mouth to her enchanting brown eyes. Oh, how he could easily get lost in them.

Kanae was also losing herself in Beethoven’s aqua eyes. She then froze, and words failed to slip off her tongue.

Beethoven shifted his eyes back to her lips. He said, “Kanae, I – I…” he trailed off. How could he possibly say what he wanted to say to Kanae without scaring her off. “Kanae, I know this is probably too soon to say, but as you know this is our third date. And we wanted to how see things would go if – actually…tell me – oh, do you still like me, or not?”

Kanae looked at the man as if he were the king of idiocy. She said, “Beethes, of course I still like you. We’ve been through this before. You already confessed your feelings towards me and I sort of did the same. This relationship is mutual. Why are you asking this? Is something wrong? Are you having second thoughts about this whole thing?”

Beethoven replied, “I think I’ve mentioned before that I’ve had my heart broken a couple of times.”

Kanae nodded, “Yes, you mentioned that a while back.”

“I – I just want this relationship to last a while. So, I was wondering, could I…well…kiss you? I don’t care if the kiss lasts one second or one minute…I…I just want to know what it’s like to be a little intimate with you. Maybe a kiss will determine if we want to continue or not without breaking any hearts.”

Beethoven’s request was tempting. To be truthful, Kanae wanted to kiss him during their first date, but decided against it. Was Beethoven in the right? Although this whole thing was petty, and probably too soon to even consider since they’ve only been a couple for one full day, should they kiss anyway, just to see if this kind of relationship is worth investing their time into?

Kanae agreed. “Yeah, just a quick kiss.”

This took Beethoven by surprise. He didn’t think she’d actually say yes. Without hesitation, Beethoven drew himself closer to Kanae until their waists were touching. Beethoven then shifted his body in such a way that when he turned Kanae’s head, he could kiss her with little complications. The man gently grasped Kanae’s chin, and turned her head towards him. He said, “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” was Kanae’s answer. She then closed her eyes, and waited for another mouth to interlock with hers. Beethoven leaned forwards, ready to press his lips –

“OH, IT’S LOVE!” shouted a voice from behind the couch.

“EEK!” Kanae jerked; the top of her head collided with Beethoven’s jaw.

“AH!” After the sudden beating, Beethoven grasped the right side of his face. He yelled, “Ouch, what was that for?!”

Ignoring Beethoven, Kanae immediately turned and looked over the sofa to see Liszt, Mozart, and Chopin, all looking at her with guilty expressions. She exclaimed, “What’re you guys doing here?! You’re supposed to be gone!”

Mozart hopped to his feet. “We got bored.”

Beethoven said, “Wolf?” He turned beet red.

The pink fairy continued, “So we thought that it would be a good idea to check up on you two and see if there would be any action. I was really looking forward to that kiss.”

Liszt then appeared beside Mozart. “I’m so sorry, little kitten. I shouldn’t have said anything. I should’ve let you two go ham, but I just couldn’t help it! The sight was too beautiful. I couldn’t contain myself.”

Then, Chopin appeared. “It was my job to take pictures,” he said.

Beethoven gnashed his teeth. Suddenly, the white-haired man hopped to his feet and shouted, “WOLF, I’M GONNA KILL YOU!”

Mozart shrugged, “What for?”

“FOR RUINING MY DATE AND PERFECT OPPORTUNITY!” He then leaped over the couch and lunged at Mozart.

The other man dodged, then said, “Ha, you’ll have to catch me first!”

“YOU BETTER RUN!” Then – seemingly out of thin air – Beethoven displayed his flamethrower. He held it tight and ran after Mozart. “I’M GONNA LIGHT YOU ON FIRE!”

_Chapter 16 is next…_


	16. Rage Over a Lost Penny: Part 1

**“IT’S GOOOOOONE!”**

With a broom in hand – ready to be used as a weapon – Kanae appeared at the entrance of Beethoven’s open bedroom. Sometimes, Kanae considered herself a worrier, but only towards people she truly cherished. Before dating, on a normal day, Beethoven’s yelling was nothing out of the ordinary, and unimportant, but now that she was in a relationship with this man, his yelling could be considered a cause for alarm…well, not really. Everything was so fresh, it wouldn’t be long before Kanae would go back to ignoring his musical cries; but then again, when the words, ‘it’s gone’ was heard coming from his lips, she assumed the worst, and worried that he’d completely lost his hearing. Kanae loathed that day. She still had no idea what she was going to do when that situation arose. But for now:

“Beethes, what’s wrong?! Are you hurt?”

Then, Kanae’s worrying waned when she observed Beethoven on his hands and knees, searching for something of great importance. Obviously, he didn’t hear her, so Kanae made the decision to march into his room and grasp his shoulder. He jumped.

Extremely annoyed, Beethoven turned to Kanae, and shouted, “What did I tell you about grabbing me on the shoulder like that? You’re supposed to tap, got it?!”

Kanae said, “I’m sorry, Beethes, I just heard you yelling, and it didn’t sound very pretty. I thought that you lost your…” –

**“I can’t find it!”**

Kanae was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

Beethoven grasped his hair and pulled. He repeated even louder, **“I CAN’T FIND IT!”**

“Find what? What can’t you find!?”

“It was beautiful, it was one of a kind, it was a collectable, and now **IT’S GONE!** I can’t find it anywhere!” Beethoven then resumed searching the floor, his nose was almost touching the ground.

Kanae raised a brow. “You lost an object, huh? But wait, how can you lose an object in this room? You literally have nothing in here.” She then turned her head to the side and noticed a large pile of junk in the corner of the room. She tapped Beethoven on the shoulder, and he immediately focused on her lips.

“What is it?”

“Maybe whatever you lost is in that pile of junk in the corner.”

Beethoven violently shook his head. “It’s not, because I created that pile while trying to look for it. That pile of junk is **all the stuff I looked under!”**

Kanae sighed. This conversation was going nowhere. “Beethes, what did you lose? Maybe I can help you look for it? Maybe everyone at the house could lend a hand as well?”

Beethoven looked at Kanae dumbfounded. “I suppose you could all help.”

* * *

 

“Alright listen up!” shouted Kanae, who stood rigid with her arms crossed. For some reason, she looked irritated, and a little mad. Kanae, Sousuke and the ClassicaLoids were all in the living room. Liszt and Chopin took one couch, Sousuke took another, and Beethes was wandering about the room, grumbling to himself.

Hoping to get the point across as quickly and painlessly as possible without Beethoven’s two cents, Kanae said, “Beethes has lost something important and he’s asked us to help him. It’s really important to him, so you’ll have to find it right away!”

Liszt said, “What did he lose exactly?”

Kanae answered, “A penny.”

There was an awkward pause in the room. They couldn’t believe their ears. Chopin said, “Did you say, a penny?”

Mozart questioned, “A penny, seriously? I mean, would it really be that hard to find a new one? Tourists drop them all of the time, so there should be plenty of pennies downtown to choose from.”

 **“NO!”** Beethoven piped up from behind Mozart. **“IT’S NOT JUST SOME PENNY! IT’S A ONE OF A KIND! MAJESTIC! MAGNIFICENT! LIKE A TREMOLO, IT RUMBLES MY HEART SO, AND TAKES INSPIRATION TO NEW HEIGHTS! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S GONE!”** Beethoven then proceeded to grab either side of his head, and make random noises of frustration.

Kanae said, “Please, don’t ask any further questions. I’ve already endured the half an hour musical rant about its importance, and I don’t want to listen to it again, so just find it okay?”

Mozart said, “Are you okay, Kanae? Is something wrong?”

Liszt then asked, “What does it look like, little kitten?”

Kanae answered, “It’s a small brown coin, okay? Look for it. Beethes and I have already checked his bedroom. Motes, it’s your duty to search through the living room, and bathrooms without making a mess. I know I’m asking a lot, but just try to keep it clean. Sousuke, you look in the front and backyard; Liszt, you search the bathrooms and kitchen; and Chopin, you look through all of the bedrooms. Try not to steal anything, okay? Beethes, you search the ballroom and laundry room, and as for me, I’ll be the one to check the attic and rooftop.

Although it was barely audible, Beethoven stopped when he heard the word ‘rooftop.’ The word brought back a large wave of unwanted memories, and past guilt; plus, it was dangerous. Beethoven then raised his hand and said, “Girl, I request that I check the rooftop and attic instead.” –

Kanae quickly said in monotone, “Denied.”

“WHAT?!”

Kanae shook her head. “No, Beethes! Don’t you remember what we just discussed not even ten minutes ago? You are not allowed to be on the roof alone!”

“Hey, I’m deaf, not a cripple!”

Kanae corrected the man, “You’re partially deaf, and that’s entirely the point. You can’t hear anything that goes on up there. Things could happen…” –

Beethoven aimed a finger at the young woman. He interjected, “You’re one to talk! As far as I’m concerned, you shouldn’t be allowed up there alone either; no one should! It’s too dangerous for one person to handle!”

Kanae had to admit that Beethoven had a point. It was just common sense, wasn’t it?

Mozart thought, _“Are they fighting? Already?”_

Kanae exhaled. She said, “Fine, you got me there. Sousuke, you’re coming with me when I’m ready to search the roof. Now, hurry everyone. I’ve got better things to do. I don’t want to waste my precious Saturday looking for some coin.”

Beethoven shouted back, **“IT’S NOT JUST SOME COIN!”**

* * *

 

In the dark attic, with only a small light to swallow the darkness, Kanae was searching for Beethoven’s lost penny. She then stumbled across a large, dark-red book that was filled with family photos, and an assortment of old memories. She recognized this book from when she was eight, but never took a glance at the inside pages. Kanae made herself comfortable on a lone cardboard box as she opened the book and examined her grandmother’s photos. Inside, were times that were more peaceful. She liked that. Sometimes, she wished that her present life was _that_ peaceful, that the excruciating business would just go away; but then again, she feared that if it were gone, she’d miss it. As the old saying goes, ‘you have to be careful what you wish for.’ Kanae didn’t know what to do, for she was having problems of her own; money problems to be exact.

Kanae then discovered a picture of her grandmother. She was quite young, and innocently eating a strawberry. Kanae said aloud:

“Grandmother, how did you do it? How did you manage to take care of this place all by yourself after grandfather passed? Amongst all the pain and mourning of losing your beloved husband, you still held formal functions and dances. Is that how you were able to afford to pay the electricity bills? To keep this place standing? I know I must’ve disappointed you somewhere along the way. I promised myself to protect this place at all costs, but each day is just another step closer to demolition. Half of my tenants aren’t paying their rent, I don’t have a job of my own to fall back on, and I can’t afford to go to university. I’m just a landlady. If this debt doesn’t get paid off soon, no amount of musik will be able to drive the debt collectors away. They’ll just keep coming back, until they one day arrive with guns, and then someone will surely get hurt. Alright, Grandmother, enough of the sad stuff. I should tell you about the good things in my life too. I have a boyfriend now. He treats me really good so far. He’s silly, eccentric, passionate, loves gyoza, single minded, annoying and he sometimes worries about me, but I don’t mind. Funny enough, he’s also one of my tenants that wheedles his way out of paying rent. But, am I happy, you say? Although the both of us just started our relationship, I guess I can say that I’m content; however, I’d be happier if the debt went away, because then I could actually focus on my life better. It’s not fair to my friends that I pretend that everything is okay, because it’s not. I remember a time when I used to smile more too – Oh! Oh, there I go again, thinking about the worst.”

Kanae closed the book. She started to her feet, before a hand grasped her shoulder and forced her to sit back onto the box. Kanae looked up and saw that the figure before her was none other than Ludwig Van Beethoven. He looked overly serious.

Before saying anything, Beethoven took a seat on a box right next to Kanae. Their shoulders were touching. He then said, “Is that a photo album, or something?”

Kanae replied, “Um – yes, it is.”

“Can I see it?”

Without hesitation, Kanae gave the man the red book. With great diligence, Beethoven examined each page; it took longer to view some pages than others. “Your family tree is downstairs. The photographs there are professional, and very old. From what I’ve seen so far, I’m assuming that this album holds approximately forty years worth of memories?”

Kanae nodded, “Yes.”

Beethoven turned the page. “I forgot to mention, that you look a lot like your grandmother, when she was a young woman. It is easy to see the resemblance in these photos. When did she pass away?”

Kanae shifted her eyes to the side. She said, “I think it was a year before you showed up. I don’t know – I don’t remember much. I guess you could say that her death is still raw, considering that she was the only parental figure I had at that time. When high school began, mother and father were pretty much out of my life. Grandmother was the only one that really knew how to nurture me like a mother, guide me like a father, and learned to love someone severely short tempered…” –

“Hey,” Beethoven said. His sternness caught Kanae’s attention. “Don’t think that your parents don’t love you. Some people just show their affection better than others.”

“Beethes, if father really loves me, then why does he keep his distance? Why did he throw all of his debt onto my lap? And if mother really loves me, then why did she abandon me? She even took Wa-kun with her, and once again, left me behind to fend for myself. As far as I’m concerned, my parents are nothing but dead beats, and I’m almost tempted to say that I want nothing to do with them, and cut them out of my life forever. It’s obvious that I’m not important to them. I must’ve been a mistake.”

Beethoven was speechless. He didn’t know how to reply to Kanae’s statement without making her feel like shit. “On the contrary, I think your dad is very nice. Although our time together was very short, your father talked about you a lot; in fact, he wouldn’t shut up about you. He’s a proud man, and I’m sure your mother feels the same way. I hardly believe you to be a mistake. Honestly, despite your father’s weird habits, I would’ve done anything to have him as a parental figure. You see, my father wasn’t very nice.”

Kanae said, “History books mentioned your father, and how horrible he was to you.” She slightly chuckled, “We all have our problems, don’t we? I guess we’re both messed up, huh?”

Beethoven turned the page, and immediately smiled. He found them. He found Kanae’s baby and childhood memories. He had to admit that she was rather adorable as a child, and in each photograph, she was smiling. Beethoven said, “A lot of treasures are kept here in this book. You should take some of them and display them downstairs in the living room. There aren’t enough pictures of you. Tell me, how did a book like this manage to stay up here in seclusion for so long?”

“I don’t know, I just stumbled across it while looking for your penny. I’ve never actually looked through this book before.”

Beethoven snapped the book shut. He said, “You and I can take the time to look at this later. Right now, there are more important matters that need to be discussed.”

Uh oh. “Like what?”

“Like what happened between the time in my room and the meeting. I’ll also be including the meeting.”

Kanae said, “Beethes, we had a tiny spat. It’s not something that we should bother fussing over…” –

“You may not fuss, but I will.”

“Beethes…”

“Let’s get some things straight here. First off, our safety is important. I understand why you don’t want me on the roof, but I don’t want you or anyone else up on the roof alone either. Don’t be stubborn. Don’t you remember what happened over a week ago? I say that there should be at least three people up there at all times. I know just telling you won’t solve things, so that’s why I took it upon myself to tell everyone that we’ll all go together. That way, if something happens, we can rely on the others to have our backs. I know that you are independent and wish to do certain tasks on your own, but it eventually comes to a point where you have to ask others for help, am I clear?”

Kanae nodded.

“Now, onto what I really want to talk about. What the hell happened in the living room today? Just because I’m partially deaf, doesn’t mean that I can’t do anything. I still have the ability to cook, I still have the ability to fish, and I still have the ability to do chores; so, why did you make it sound like I was a cripple or something? To be honest, it was embarrassing.”

Kanae replied, “Beethes, I know that you are more than capable of doing these things. It’s just…that I don’t want you doing them alone.”

“I guess that’s what I’m asking, Kanae. Why do I need supervision?”

“Isn’t it obvious? It’s because of your hearing. I’m worried about your safety. To tell you the truth, I worry at all times about you. From when you’re working in the kitchen with the stove, to when you’re picking weeds. When your back is turned, you can’t hear anything; so, if something happens, and no one is around to rectify the situation early, you could get seriously hurt. The thought of you getting burned by out of control flames, or getting run over by any kind of vehicle scares the hell out of me.”

Beethoven’s expression softened. He then grasped the woman’s hands. He said, “I don’t always need supervision. The rooftop is one thing, but the kitchen is another. You already know that I’m careful in there. Just because I can’t hear most things, doesn’t mean that I can’t do the job the same as before. I know you’re scared, but I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.” He took a deep breath before continuing, “Anyways – like I said before – we’re all going to search the roof together if nobody finds the penny before then. Also, it’s been a long time since I’ve stepped foot into this attic. I highly doubt that the penny will be here.”

Beethoven rose to his feet. He held out his hand, and Kanae took it. “Let’s us go. We can look through the photo album together at a later date. I can’t wait to see the embarrassing naked baby pictures.”

Kanae grumbled. “Oh no, knowing my parents, they probably have a whole album dedicated to just that.”

Good thing Beethoven didn’t hear that statement, or he’d be looking.

Then, without warning, Beethoven pecked Kanae on the cheek. Kanae immediately turned red.

Beethoven said, “A clean slate?”

Kanae responded, frozen, “Yeah.”

_The search for the lost penny continues. Chapter 17 is next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you know Beethoven's music, you'll know what the hell I'm hinting at regarding this chapter.
> 
> I would also like to thank the readers thus far. Be sure to take a quick minute to give kudos and/or review, for your feedback really means a lot. You can also subscribe to this fanfic too since I may be busy some days and won't be able to post for about a week, so you'll be able to receive a notification when a new chapter is posted.
> 
> Thanks again. Without you guys, I would have given up writing long ago.


	17. Rage Over a Lost Penny: Part 2

After three hours of endless searching at the mansion, the lost penny remained missing. Beethoven’s mood was starting to slip into a depressive state. Currently, he was seated in one of the living room chairs, with his head stretched backwards, and giving the ceiling a terrifying gaze.

Liszt, near the staircase, said to Kanae, “Look at him, the poor man. He’s so depressed. Now that he’s like this, please tell me little kitten, why is this penny so important?”

Kanae answered, “Apparently, Beethes found the penny on a side street downtown. It’s Canadian currency, was made and distributed in 1966, and is 48% dull.”

Liszt turned away. She said over dramatically, “Oh dear, it was of such important value. I can’t imagine what he’s feeling? Oh, the heartbreak!”

Kanae said, “You’re impossible too.” She then marched over to Beethoven, and shook him out of his trance.

Irritated, Beethoven shouted, “What? What do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy here, wallowing in self pity?”

Kanae placed her hands on her hips. She said passive aggressively, “Beethes, enough is enough. We’re making a trip downtown.”

Beethoven blinked. “Downtown? Why?”

Kanae rubbed the side of her face. Dear, oh dear. “Obviously, we’re going to find you a new penny. Face it Beethes, we couldn’t find it; it’s lost god knows where. It could have fallen into the ocean while you were on a fishing trip or something.” She then grasped Beethoven’s red scarf and peeled him off the chair. “Let’s go, we’re losing precious time.”

* * *

 

The gang of Otowa mansion found themselves in the heart of downtown, searching for rogue Canadian pennies that _must_ be 48% dull, dated in 1966, with the head of the coin partially green, and 1/3 stained with dirt. The entire way there, Kanae couldn’t stop complaining about the whole ordeal. To her, Beethoven’s demands were completely unreasonable, but Beethoven insisted that the penny had to look that way. Whatever. Despite the waste of time this was, Kanae was at least enjoying the sun, and told herself that she should quickly stop at the supermarket on the way home, and pick up some supplies for tonight’s supper.

After approximately two hours of searching concrete surfaces, and finding pennies that weren’t up to Beethoven’s standards, Kanae said, “Beethes. It’s five o’clock. We should wrap it up. Obviously, we can’t find any currency that matches your requirements. It’s rush hour, and most of us are getting tired.”

With one hand, Beethoven immediately grasped his shaggy hair. Amongst the large crowd, Beethoven shot his head up to the sky and shouted to the heavens above. **“THIS** **CAN’T BE! ALL HOPE CANNOT BE LOST! IS THIS FATE? IS IT MEANT TO BE LOST FOR ALL ETERNITY? I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO DO! HOW CAN I CONTINUE LIVING WITHOUT IT? IT’S LACK OF PRESENCE WILL KILL MY INSPIRATION!”**

Liszt added, “The infinite nonexistence of love! How terrifying it must be!”

Beethoven continued, “Wait! I’m remembering something. I’m remembering, but I can’t place my finger on what?! Now that thought will be lost forever!”

Sousuke – who was on Beethoven’s left – thought, _“Remember something? Is he talking about musik?”_ Then, something familiar caught Sousuke’s eye.

Liszt said, “I agree with little kitten, though. I think we should go home.”

Chopin, squatting on a skating board – shaking – and with a mandarin box over his head, couldn’t agree more.

“Awwwe,” Mozart, said with his hands placed behind his neck, “but I want to hit on girls. Look at how many there are.”

Sousuke added, “Yeah, Beethes-san, I think we should call it a day. We can search another time, okay? Just you and I.”

Beethoven then crossed his arms, pouted, and looked away. Obviously, he begged to differ. Kanae still couldn’t believe that she was in a relationship with this guy. “No, I cannot give up! I refuse to let fate get the better of me.  I will find that penny! Even if I have to burn the entire city to the ground, I will find that penny – woah!” –

Kanae forcefully grabbed Beethoven’s hand, and pulled him with her. She said, “Let’s go to the supermarket, Beethes. We need supplies for supper tonight. I need your help, along with everyone else’s.”

Mozart piped up. “Why do I have to tag along? There’s a cute girl over there that I really want to…” –

Kanae shrieked, “Let’s go, Motes!”

“…Okay.”

* * *

 

In the dairy aisle of the supermarket, Beethoven had gone very quiet. With one hand, he was carrying a red basket, overflowing with items for dinner. He was staring at the floor for the majority of the time. All he could think about was the lost penny, and it was starting to tire him out.

Time passed, and Kanae eventually lost the majority of the peanut gallery. Mozart was somewhere in the area probably playing harmless pranks on other consumers, and flirting with younger women; Liszt was in the beauty aisle, testing out all sorts of lipstick colors on the top of her hand; and Kanae assumed Chopin snuck out through a back door somewhere and had gone home. The only ones who stayed loyal to Kanae’s side was a mildly depressed Beethoven, and Sousuke. Kanae could tell that Sousuke was slightly concerned for Beethoven’s well-being, so Kanae said, gently and with a smile for reassurance:

“It’s going to be alright, Beethes, we’ll find you a new penny. I know the previous one you had was special, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Sousuke then said, “Yeah, Beethes-san, cheer up. I’m sure you’ll stumble across it eventually, and then we’ll all have a good laugh about it; that’s what always happens. You know, when I can’t find my favourite T-shirt, I yell at my mother from the top of the staircase and ask her, and she always says it’s in the top drawer of my dresser – you know, the most obvious place – and she’s always right, although the T-shirt wasn’t in that drawer two seconds ago.” He then placed a hand against his chin. “I swear that my mother is a witch. I still haven’t figured out how her black magic works.”

Beethoven didn’t answer Sousuke. Either he didn’t hear him or this was worse than he thought.

Kanae turned to Sousuke. She said, “Sousuke, it doesn’t matter what you say right now, or how hard you pound those words into his thick skull, you won’t get through to him. He’ll get over it soon, trust me.”

Sousuke then looked back at the familiarity, and grew more anxious.

* * *

 

No matter how hard he tried, Beethoven could not fall asleep. If he told you that there were 472 cracks in the ceiling, what would you say?

He couldn’t stop thinking about that lost penny. In truth, it wasn’t the lost object itself that was troubling him, it was feeling of loss that encouraged the emotions and inspiration that he always sought for in his musik. He was certain that nobody noticed, for not a single soul asked him why he was carrying his baton all afternoon and evening. It was odd. He could produce the baton, but failed to unleash his musik. Why? Why couldn’t he release these overwhelming feelings and sensations like he was supposed to?

Beethoven reached for his baton. Maybe asking himself weird questions while staring at it will make him fall asleep. As he turned to his side, and grasped the desired object, a shadow suddenly loomed over him, but he failed to notice.

Then, a small hand clamped onto his bicep, and scared him out of his wits. As a reflex, Beethoven quickly turned around, and aimed his fist at whatever frightened him. He made contact, but with someone he least expected. On the floor – wincing – was a little blonde girl, of whom Beethoven thought was on the other side of the planet, pleasing others with her pop music.

“OW!”

Beethoven’s eyes widened. What did he just do? “Tchaikovsky! What the hell are you doing here?!”

Tchaikovsky struggled to her feet. She was nursing her left cheek. “You moron! Did you really just hit a girl?!”

Beethoven replied, “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to. You scared the hell out of me though, so you sort of had it coming. Why’re you here? Did you and Badarzewska break up the band again?”

Tchaikovsky shrugged. “Well, yeah – sort of – but not really. We’re taking a small break, so I thought I’d come by, and remind people that I still exist.”

Beethoven said, “Oh.”

“Hmm? Why are you holding your baton?”

* * *

 

It was almost midnight. In the kitchen, Kanae and Sousuke were sitting across from each other, drinking green tea. Apparently, Sousuke was enduring some family issues, so he decided to pay Kanae a late-night visit. They talked about Sousuke’s current situation, and how it could potentially be compromised, events that would be taking place over the weekend, and the lost penny issue. Kanae said:

“Today was pretty eventful, wasn’t it?” She sighed, “I can’t believe I wasted so much time looking for some stupid coin, when I could have completed a load of chores. Oh well, at least the supermarket made up for the lost time.”

Sousuke said, “Kanae, you may think it, but I didn’t think that looking for Beethes’ coin was a waste of time. It was important to him. It may be annoying, but as his girlfriend, you should be concerned that this lost penny is bothering him. He barely ate anything today.”

Kanae lowered her head, ashamed. She said, defeated, “You’re right. I’m so bad at this. I hope he’s not mad at me or anything? I should go talk to him tomorrow.”

Sousuke said, “I did some digging. I think I figured out why Beethes-san has been acting so strange over this penny.”

Kanae said, “Enlighten me.”

“Okay,” said Sousuke as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a brand-new Pad. This caught Kanae’s attention.

“Sousuke, is that new?!”

Sousuke nodded. “Yes, it is. I got it a couple of days ago. I call him Pad-kun 2.0. I know I said that I wasn’t going to replace Pad-kun, but I think it’s quite obvious that he’s not going to be returning any time soon. Now what was I saying – oh, yes! Kanae I don’t think you noticed at all, but the entire time we were downtown, at the supermarket, and even during dinner, Beethes-san was carrying his baton.”

“He was? Well, he was pretty discreet about it.”

“Kanae, the whole time, he was trying to unleash his musik.”

Kanae placed a finger against her lips. She thought out loud, “That’s very unusual. Usually, Beethes will display his musik anywhere whenever he feels like it. Was he stopping himself?”

“I thought that at first, but then I took into account that maybe something was stopping _him_ from using musik.”

“Something stopping him? How could that be?”

Sousuke then shoved Pad-kun 2.0 in Kanae’s face. The computer said in a cheerful voice, _“I think I have the answer!”_

Kanae blinked. “Oh, you do?”

_"The piece, ‘_ _Rondo alla ingharese quasi un capriccio_ _in_ _[G major](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G_major), [Op.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opus_number) 129,’ or better known as ‘Rage over a lost penny, vented in a caprice’ was composed by Ludwig Van Beethoven between 1795 and 1798. It was written on manuscript, but not by Beethoven’s hand. Everyone has their own opinions, but most say that this piece was considered comical, and shouldn’t be taken seriously; however, this fun, light hearted piece was never finished, and remained unpublished until Anton Diabelli – a composer and well renowned publisher at that time – published it in 1828.”_

Kanae took a moment to let that barrage of information soak in. She then said, “Rage over a lost penny, huh? Now, this is beginning to make more sense, but that still doesn’t explain why he wasn’t able to unleash his musik.”

Sousuke said, “Kanae, Beethes couldn’t use musik, because the piece he composed was never published until after his death. It was left incomplete. Don’t you understand?”

Pad-kun 2.0 spoke up, _“I think that’s why your friend is so obsessed over this lost penny. It’s because he can’t find any gratification.”_

“Oh,” Kanae grimaced, “that’s…really sad.”

* * *

 

Tchaikovsky – who was sitting on the floor across from Beethoven – understood. She said, “Ah, I see. You have the tune in your head, but you are unable to use musik?”

Beethoven continued to stare at his baton. Why won’t it just disappear already? “I’ve been carrying this thing all day long.”

“Hmm?”

“I remember, now. I composed the piece, but I never published it. I never finished it, because more important things got in the way. To be honest, it was supposed to be something stupid and fun, and that I probably came up with while drunk. Its melody stirs within me, but as fate would have it, I’ll only be able to recreate the sound through the piano…” he trailed off.

Tchaikovsky hugged her knees. She changed the subject, “I’m sorry about your hearing, Beethes. I wouldn’t wish for that on my worst enemy.”

Beethoven assured, “It’s destiny. I’ve endured being deaf once before, so this should be a cakewalk.”

“You can say that all you want, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

“No, it doesn’t.”

 **“OH MY GOD! I almost forgot!”** Tchaikovsky hopped to her feet. “About a month ago, I unleashed new musik, and I think it’s right up your alley. I figured that you’d need some cheering up, so I thought I’d be the first to ask you if you’d like to take a listen?”

Beethoven answered in an excited tone of voice, “New musik? Hell, yes! What is it? What is it?”

Then, Tchaikovsky ran into a dilemma, “Oh dear, maybe I shouldn’t show you. It’s really, really loud.”

Beethoven quickly stood up. He needed satisfaction, badly. Even if the musik wasn’t his, it didn’t mean that he couldn’t be fulfilled by other’s compositions. “I don’t care how loud it is! I have hearing protection! Now, what is it?! Show me!”

Tchaikovsky concluded, “Let’s go outside, and I’ll show you!”

_Chapter 18 is next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What new musik will Tchaikovsky reveal?
> 
> Please leave a review.


	18. Rage Over a Lost Penny: Part 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is just a fun chapter before I go back to the main beto x kanae plot. Geez, almost 20 chapters in, and they haven't properly kissed yet.

Terribly loud music awoke Kanae from her deep slumber. In an instant, she sat up and quickly covered her ears with two pillows. Holy crap this was loud! Kanae took a quick look around the room, and noticed colorful music notes dancing in all sorts of directions. Kanae said:

“What the hell is going on?”

Kanae then glanced over to her bedroom window and noticed a golden backdrop, decorated with vivid colors and patterns, invading the yard outside. “Is this…musik?”

Kanae kicked away the sheets and jumped out of bed. She tossed the pillows aside and opened the bedroom window. At second glance, it was just as she suspected; musik. She continued to scan the area and saw cute baby polar bears, miniature toy soldiers, and Matryoshka dolls dancing together in jubilation. There were also goats, lots of goats with scarves, littering the yard, headbutting and making an overall mess; and on top of everything, there was a sight that Kanae thought she’d never see in the summer time. It was cold, very cold, and there was snow on the ground.

Kanae covered her ears again. Bells were ringing, and the brass was pounding. Even though the music itself was considered beautiful, and no doubt a masterpiece, the volume was overwhelming to say the least. Why was this so loud? Who’s musik was this? It couldn’t have belonged to Beethoven. Kanae exclaimed, “What the hell is going on out here – WHAT?! Tchaiko-chan?!”

She then saw two familiar bodies standing in a thick sheet of snow that covered the yard. It was Tchaikovsky and Beethoven, and they were standing side by side. They were both dressed in identical winter wear that the Siberian Russian troops in World War II once wore. Beethoven wore his goggles atop of his head, and was using binoculars, for some weird reason. He also accessorized his look with his hearing protection – which was a relief. Tchaikovsky was using hearing protection of her own, and was talking through what looked like a walkie talkie.

Kanae thought, _“What on earth are those two doing?”_

She then heard a large rustle, and then a _CRASH_. Startled, Kanae looked into the distance, and observed a massive robot terrorizing the mountainside. This was insane. She then looked back at the two ClassicaLoids, and shouted from the window sill, “What in blue blazes is going on?! Tchaiko-chan, what are you doing here all of a sudden?! Beethes, what trouble are you causing now?!” –

Kanae then stopped when she noticed twenty-one heavy pieces of field artillery lined up side by side. “Don’t tell me…are those…CANNONS?!”

Tchaikovsky said with a straight face, “Ludwig, have you locked onto our target?”

Beethoven peeled the binoculars away from his eyes. He then said, “Yes, Pyotr. Everything is set. We’re ready to fire.”

Tchaikovsky replied, “Alright, let’s end this.”

Beethoven then placed his goggles over his eyes. He shouted, “Understood!”

Kanae continued to shout from her bedroom window, but they failed to notice her cries, “STOP! I SAID STOP! DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT USING THOSE THINGS! YOU WILL JUST MAKE A BIGGER MESS!”

Tchaikovsky said, “Ready, Ludwig?”

Beethoven answered, “Ready, Pyotr!”

“STOP!”

They saluted.

“I SAID STOOOOP!” –

“Пожар!”

 “FEUER!”

**_BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!_ **

Each cannon fired its round. Within seconds, the cannonballs met their intended target, and smashed the mecha into pieces. The robot then fell to the ground with brute force, and created a large gust of wind that lost its power once it reached Beethoven and Tchaikovsky’s location.

When the mission was over, and the majority of the smoke created by the cannons was gone, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky turned to one another and burst into a fit of laughter. They then cheered and gave each other a solid high five.

Beethoven yelled, “That was awesome!”

“I know, right?!”

“Let’s do it again!” –

Kanae shrieked as she ran outside to confront the troublemakers. “Stop! I said stop!” She was still dressed in her pajamas, and she was covering her ears. “What part of stop don’t you two understand?”

Beethoven failed to hear Kanae’s pleas; however, Tchaikovsky heard the woman loud and clear. The young girl shifted towards Kanae, and said, “Oh, Kanae! It’s good to see you! I’m just showing Beethes my new musik! Isn’t it awesome!?”

Beethoven then noticed Kanae out of the corner of his eye. He said, elated, “Oh, girl! You should try out Tchaikovsky’s new musik! It’s so much fun! Come on and try, just this once!”

Kanae clenched her fists. She shouted, “I don’t want to **try anything** out! I want you all to **cut it out!”**

Tchaikovsky raised a brow. She looked at Beethoven. “Should we listen to her?”

Beethoven crossed his arms. He then closed his eyes and said, “I think it is wise to do so. Unfortunately, she’s got a nasty bite to go along with her bark.”

Tchaikovsky sighed, “Fine.”

It took some time, but eventually, the girl weakly raised her baton in the air. Almost immediately, the baton fragmented into tiny blue particles, along with everything else that was related to her musik; including the snow and winter clothing. When all traces of musik had disappeared, Tchaikovsky said, slightly annoyed, “Are you happy now?”

Kanae frowned. She said, “No Tchaiko-chan, I am **not** happy! It’s five in the god damn morning! I wake up at seven o’clock; a reasonable time! Besides, this is a surprise. What are you doing here?”

Tchaikovsky placed her hands on her hips. She gave a large, “Hmph,” then said, “I broke up Claskey: Klasky.”

“Again?!”

“It’s temporary.”

“So, out of all places in the world, you come here for refuge?”

“I’m just bored.”

Kanae attempted to calm herself by rubbing her temples. She said, “Let me get this straight…instead of engaging in intellectual conversations with people you haven’t seen in over a year, you decide it a great idea to make the entire neighborhood go _KABOOM_?”

Tchaikovsky grew excited again, “Yeah, aren’t cannons awesome!? They make fantastic instruments!”

Beethoven raised his arms in the air, and gave a musical cry, “Indeed! They send a mighty tremble down my spine!” –

Kanae quickly interjected, “Instruments?!” She then pointed to the nearest cannon. “Since when were cannons even remotely considered an instrument?”

Tchaikovsky answered, “Since 1880, when I first composed the _1812 Overture_.”

“Whatever,” Kanae said before turning to her boyfriend, “LUDWIG! What are you doing? You know that you can’t be around loud noises like this. It’s not good for you, you’re temping fate.”

Beethoven said calmly, “I’m wearing my hearing protection, aren’t I? Besides, wasn’t it you that gave me permission in the first place to make use of these earmuffs as often as I could, since it put a dent in your wallet?”

He was right. Kanae grumbled in annoyance, “Tchaiko-chan, do you plan on staying here for a while.”

“Yes.”

“Great, I’m going back to bed now. Don’t wake me up this early again, you hear?!”

When Kanae was out of sight, Tchaikovsky said to Beethoven, “She’s not a morning person, is she? Hey, how long do you figure it’ll take her to cool down?”

Beethoven answered, “It takes approximately twenty-three minutes for the anger to settle. We should be safe at breakfast.”

Then a thought came to Tchaikovsky’s mind. She said, curiously, “Wait, since when does Kanae ever call you Ludwig?”

Beethoven gave the young girl a sly smile. He said, “She’s my girlfriend. She’s allowed to call me Ludwig whenever she pleases.”

…

…

**“WHAT?! GIRLFRIEND!? WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SOMETHING SOONER?!”**

_Chapter 19 is next…_


	19. Arf! Arf!: Part 1

Kanae heard a guitar playing. It wasn’t an electric one; it was acoustic, and it was being played beautifully. There was no rhythm, it was mostly picking, but there was something foreign accompanying the guitar. Was it a voice? Yes, it sounded like a voice. The voice was strong, male, elegant, and the tune it displayed sounded very familiar. Most certainly, it was Beethoven playing the guitar, but was he also the one singing? No, it couldn’t have been.

Curious, Kanae stopped dusting the living room, and journeyed straight to Beethoven’s room. The doorway was wide open, meaning that there was a free invitation to walk inside. Kanae peered from behind the doorframe, and saw Beethoven sitting on the floor, against the wall, with an acoustic guitar in hand. She was right; he was the one playing the guitar, but he also was the one singing, surprisingly enough. He was quite good at the latter.

Kanae turned back into the hallway, and closed her eyes. She listened intently to Beethoven’s soothing voice. He was melting her like butter, and if she didn’t stop this soon, the fantasies of him singing her name in her ear as they would make out would be hard to escape. Oh, that’s right. They haven’t properly kissed yet, have they? Oh no, that thought just made things worse! Kanae tried to ease her mind off of these fantasies by focusing on something different; the lyrics.

 _“Freude, schöner Götterfunken,_  
Tochter aus Elysium,  
Wir betreten feuertrunken.  
Himmlische, dein Heiligtum!  
Deine Zauber binden wieder  
Was die Mode streng geteilt;  
Alle Menschen werden Brüder  
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.

 _Deine Zauber binden wieder_  
Was die Mode streng geteilt;  
Alle Menschen werden Brüder  
Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt.”

As stated before, Beethoven bore a decent singing voice. By no means was his pitch perfect, but for a partially deaf man, at least he could carry a tune. Kanae briefly contemplated whether she should bother Beethoven or not. He looked overtaken by his music, and maybe he would get mad if she stopped him by trying to give him a compliment. After a few seconds of internal conflict, Kanae took one step into the room before stopping; she stopped to make her presence known without scaring him. As expected, it didn’t take long for Beethoven to notice Kanae standing at the doorway. He immediately stopped playing. He flinched, “Oh, Kanae – it’s you! What are you doing here?”

Kanae entered his room. She explained herself, “I heard someone playing, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wanted to see who it was.”

Beethoven looked at her, puzzled, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Kanae said, a tad louder, “I like your playing. I came here to watch a free concert.”

He mumbled to himself, “A…concert?”

She then bent over and said, “Ludwig, you have a lovely voice. I didn’t know you could sing like that.”

Beethoven momentarily blushed. Eventually, he composed himself by closing his eyes and giving Kanae a small smile.  He added, “For a deaf man, it’s not so bad.”

Kanae then took the opportunity to sit on the floor with Beethoven. She said, “I recognized the music you were playing. Is it your piece?”

He gave a curt nod. “Yeah, it’s from my ninth symphony. Ode to joy.”

Kanae then frowned, “Sometimes, I wish I was as gifted as you. You can play several instruments, you can sing decently, and you compose music. By just watching you, I can see that you have a lot more fun.”

Beethoven said, “Don’t give yourself a hard time. You’re good at things too. Like chores…”

Kanae crossed her arms. “I don’t think that counts as a talent of any sort.”

“Well, don’t you do anything fun for yourself?”

“Not really,” said Kanae, “Although I think I’m going to try out for competitive swimming again.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Competitive swimming. I used to be on a swim team in high school and recreationally. In senior year, they offered me a scholarship at the local college, but I refused.”

Wow, this was news. Beethoven said, “You were offered a scholarship for college?” He shouted, “Why didn’t you take it?! That was your opportunity!”

Kanae answered, “Because it is my duty to take care of Otowa mansion. If I weren’t here, the mansion would be in ruins.” She hugged her knees.

Beethoven said, “So, you’re thinking of swimming again?”

Kanae nodded. “I’m thinking about it, but it would be league swimming. I’d have to try out. There’s no guarantees that you’ll make it on a team.”

“Well, if you make it,” Beethoven said, “I’d like to come and watch. I’ve never watched competitive swimming before.”

Kanae smiled. “That sounds like a plan.” She then changed the subject, “Could you play some more, Ludwig? You don’t have to sing this time. I just like hearing you play?”

“Play again?”

“If it’s too much to ask…” –

Kanae’s statement surprised Beethoven. She wasn’t a musical person. She couldn’t sing, act or dance; in fact, he wasn’t sure if he’d ever seen her hold an instrument before. No matter, it seemed like Kanae was slowly learning to fall in love with music; after all, she lived with four people who bled music, so it was bound to rub off on her eventually. Beethoven said, “No, no, I’ll play again. I’ll play something different.”

“What will you play,” said Kanae, excited and intrigued.

Beethoven said, “Seventh symphony movement II in A major, Allegretto.”

Kanae sighed, “Why is the name so long?”

Beethoven chuckled, “It’s just the way it was back then, so suck it up.”

Then, Beethoven started to pick at the guitar. Kanae heard this tune before too. It was mysterious, sad, and interesting nonetheless since it was being played on an acoustic. As many have stated before, this is the piece that will be played on every radio station when the apocalypse happens. Despite the sadness of this piece, it was relatively calming. After a long while, Beethoven took a quick glance at Kanae, and saw that she was on the verge of falling asleep.

Beethoven stopped playing. He asked, “Is it boring?”

“No,” Kanae replied, “It’s weirdly soothing.”

“Shall I play something else?”

Kanae ignored his question. “When you sang Ode to joy…the lyrics weren’t Japanese. What language was it in? German?”

Beethoven nodded. “Yes, it is German. It’s weird speaking the language though, for its been so long.”

Kanae said, “Ludwig, I know we’ve briefly talked about this before, but despite everything that’s going on with you regarding your hearing, are you still are pursuing the German language, so you can go to your birth country? How’s it coming along?”

Beethoven shrugged. “I’m progressing slowly. I recognize some words, but I don’t expect to be fluent in the long run. My ultimate goal with the language is to know _just_ enough, so that when I do go to Germany and Austria, I can ask for directions and order anything with chicken in it.”

Kanae raised a brow. She said, “Chicken, huh? You’re reading weird books again, I see. When do you plan on going?”

Beethoven gave Kanae a reassuring smile. She mentioned the last time that she’d miss him if he went to Europe for a long period of time, and now that they were in the beginning stages of a relationship, his absence would make things harder for her. “Maybe in a couple of years,” he said, “but right now, there are more important things.”

After Beethoven’s statement, Kanae gawked at the nearest wall, and took a quick glance at the hand clock; it was three thirty already! She’d have to get some supplies for dinner soon. Then, as soon as Kanae turned to look back at Beethoven, his guitar was mere inches from her face.

Kanae said, “W-what’s this?”

Beethoven said, “Take it.”

“What?!”

“Take it. I’ll teach you how to play.”

Kanae scoffed, “Are you kidding me?! I’m terrible! I’m the least musical person that you’ll find. Actually, I’ve never touched an instrument before.”

Beethoven ignored her, “Let me teach you. I’m not great myself, but I at least I know enough to help you play something.”

Kanae thought momentarily. She was going to learn how to play an instrument; this was so foreign to her. Kanae grasped the guitar and delicately pulled it against her chest. It was a nice acoustic guitar. He must’ve just purchased it too with the money he was now making at the conservatory. Just holding the neck of the guitar felt like she was holding a million dollars. Although she was sitting on the floor, she was still wary of dropping it.

Beethoven said, “Why’re you holding it like it’s going to break in half? Don’t worry, it’s a cheap ass guitar that I bought off somebody for 50 bucks.”

Kanae started to panic. “W-well, h-how do I hold it?”

Beethoven moved from a sitting to a kneeling position in order to help the poor girl out. He pressed the instrument against Kanae’s stomach and chest area. “Hold the body of the guitar close to your front like this.” After, he grabbed her left hand and forced her fingers around its neck. He then took her right hand and placed it at the waist. “You put your left hand here, and your right hand here. Done, you look good.”

Kanae started sweating. This was overwhelming; thoughts of all kinds rushed through her head:

 _“Oh no! Am I really holding an instrument? And it’s Beethes guitar too! Don’t drop it, don’t drop it, don’t drop it! Are we actually doing this? Is this real? Are guitars supposed to be this bulky? Geez, this is heavy. Why is it so heavy? My arms are already tiring out, and I haven’t even played one note. My god, Beethes is so serious. Honestly, he’s pretty hot like this? No, no, no! Kanae stop it! Pay attention! He’s going to teach you something valuable. Concentrate Kanae. AH! How can I possibly concentrate when this good-looking man is touching me? Those aqua eyes just pierce my soul. I can’t escape. He’s so handsome, so manly. I wonder if his hair is soft? NO! Concentrate, Kanae! Beethes is giving you a free lesson; just try to enjoy it! Maybe you’ll get something out of it.”_ She wined, _“Too hot…”_

Beethoven grasped Kanae’s left hand fingers and positioned them on the frets accordingly. He said, “I want you to use the pick and strum the first string only. I’ll move your fingers when and where I see fit. Just do a nice steady beat, okay?” He slightly bobbed his head, “Ta, ta, ta, ta...”

Kanae did her best to follow the rhythm. Although her picking was harsh, Beethoven said nothing, only placing Kanae’s fingers in various places on the frets, and together as one, they played _‘Ode to joy’_ with a messy simplicity.

She was doing it. She was actually playing an instrument, and she sort of found it fun. Oh no, those fantasies were returning; just the very thought of Beethoven and her playing music for hours alone, made her smile, and created butterflies in her stomach.

After approximately ten minutes of playing the same tune, Kanae accidentally picked the wrong string. The guitar created a sharp and out of tune noise. This startled Kanae, and she immediately panicked, quickly lifting the neck, and whacking Beethoven’s jaw. He fell backwards.

With the guitar still in hand, Kanae tried to stand to see if her boyfriend was alright, but quickly lost her footing due to a mixture of clumsiness and the weight of the guitar pulling her forwards and towards the ground. She opened her mouth.

Kanae chest then slammed into Beethoven’s, and she wound up on top of him. Surprisingly, his body was very warm…they also had never been this close before.

Beethoven was still, unmoving, and seemed as if he weren’t breathing. Kanae was on the verge of instant panic. Was he okay? Did she hurt him? Then, it wasn’t until a few seconds, when reality struck, that she realized that her lips were against his.

Beethoven was frozen. He was unsure of what to do next. They were kissing, and it wasn’t intentional. Should he turn this accidental kiss into a means of experimentation? I mean, the last thing he wanted was to feel like he was kissing his ‘sister’, and not Kanae.

Then, after those few awkward seconds with their lips just pressed together, Beethoven relaxed and wrapped his mouth around Kanae’s, slowly deepening the kiss.

And with that, Kanae then closed her eyes and did the same. She absentmindedly tossed the guitar aside, and tangled her free fingers in Beethoven’s shaggy, white hair; despite the wild rat’s nest, Kanae was astounded at how soft his hair was. It felt as if she’d captured a cloud.

Beethoven opened his eyes. He saw a shadow quickly walk past his open door, but paid no heed. He didn’t care; they could be jealous all they want. He then took his own hands, and wrapped them around Kanae’s waist to keep her down. This was bliss. Beethoven felt as if he could continue like this for the remainder of the day, but did he or Kanae actually enjoy this? Beethoven was unsure himself, but his mind about Kanae’s mindset – regarding their feelings – quickly changed when she took the onus to push her tongue between his teeth, and touch his own tongue. Beethoven moaned, making Kanae dig her fingers deeper into his scalp… –

_POOF!_

Without warning, pink smoke enveloped their bodies, causing both parties to cough profusely. Beethoven thought:

_“What is this? What’s going on?”_

Then, when the smoke cleared, Beethoven felt something very small in his hands. The ‘something’ wasn’t only petite; it was soft, brown, fluffy, bore pointed ears and went, “Arf! Arf!” In addition, a pink clip was attached to its forehead and it wore a pink collar around its neck. It barked again, “Arf! Arf!”

He raised a brow. Where did this dog come from? Where was Kanae?

Then, it clicked.

“AH!” He shouted, “I just turned my girlfriend into a fucking dog!”

The man then sat up. He was still holding the dog version of Kanae in the air.

“Arf! Arf!”

Beethoven answered, “Oh my god, I don’t know what to do! What do I do?! What happened?” After minutes of panic and deliberation, a thought came across Beethoven’s mind. His blood instantly boiled, thus unhappy with an awkward man who was known for turning people into dogs with his musik. “CHOOOOPIIIINN!”

_Chapter 20 is next…_

 


	20. Arf! Arf!: Part 2

**“Chopin, answer the door, right now!”**

Beethoven was rapping on Chopin’s bedroom door. He was clearly angry at the shy man for purposely transforming Kanae into a dog. He wasn’t stupid, he knew exactly who the perpetrator was. Earlier, he’d seen a shadow walk past his room as he and Kanae bonded, and maybe Chopin found it funny to end their make out session in an awkward way. No, that was not the case. There was no doubt in Beethoven’s mind that Chopin was still salty about the similarities in their music; he’d gotten that vibe many times over, but was turning Kanae into a dog really the appropriate way to carry out vengeance?

“Chopin,” Beethoven said as he continued knocking, “You get your ass out of your room this instant, or else!”

After a minute of strenuous knocking and shouting, Beethoven failed to receive an answer from the other side of the door. Kanae – still a dog – was sitting at Beethoven’s feet. She looked up at the man, and barked, “Arf, Arf!” Poor girl. She tried to vocalize to Beethoven that his threats weren’t going to make Chopin come out of his room.

Beethoven’s one-track mind ignored Kanae. He said, “Fine, be that way! If you won’t open the door, then I’ll do it for you!” He lifted a foot.

Realizing that Beethoven was dead set on breaking down the door, Kanae quickly snatched Beethoven’s exposed ankle with her mouth, and bit down, hard.

Beethoven screamed in pain, “AH!” He then attempted to shake Kanae off of his ankle, “Let go of me,” but she would not budge, “Fine, fine! I won’t break down the door!”

After hearing those words, Kanae put her trust in Beethoven, and she let go, falling to the floor with a petite _TUMP_. Beethoven then sat on the hardwood and nursed his ankle. He was thankful that no blood was drawn from Kanae’s bite. The dog barked again, “Arf!”

Beethoven answered the dog, “You didn’t have to bite me, you know! Well then, if you won’t allow me to break in _that_ way, then what do you suppose I do to force Chopin out of his room, and get him to turn you back into a human?”

“Arf! Arf!”

Beethoven started to panic. He said, “I don’t understand a word you’re saying,” he then grasped his hair and pulled, “What do I do now, Kanae? How do I get you back to normal? How do we get out of this mess if Chopin won’t come out of hiding?”

Then, a person of familiarity turned the corner of the hallway, and immediately noticed a dog at Beethoven’s feet. It was Mozart. Mozart shouted, “Oh my god, how adorable! A puppy!”

Excited, Mozart ran towards the dog, but before the pink fairy could grab a hold of Kanae and squeeze her to death, Beethoven quickly grasped Kanae, and held her close to his chest.

Beethoven yelled, “Wolf, Stop!”

Mozart halted. He said, disappointed, “Hey, what gives? Why are you hogging it? It’s adorable. Why won’t you let me pet it? Hold it?” Mozart then whined with a high-pitched squeal, “Lud-kun, you’re so meeeeean!” He reached for the dog, but Beethoven moved away.

Beethoven said, “Wolf, please listen to me. I’m not being mean. You see, this isn’t a normal dog.”

Mozart scratched the side of his head. He said, confused, “Not a normal dog, huh? It looks pretty normal to me.”

“No,” Beethoven said, aiming a finger at Chopin’s closed door, “That imbecile in there purposely turned Kanae into a dog!”

Mozart blinked. He murmured, “What? Kanae? He turned her into a dog, you say?”

“Yes, see?” Beethoven repositioned Kanae. He held the dog under her armpits, and pushed her away from his body to show the chaos that Chopin had apparently caused.

Mozart cocked his head to the side. He bent forwards to get a better look, and squinted. Then, he noticed the familiar pink clip. “Oh, is that really you, Kanae?”

The dog nodded before barking, “Arf! Arf!” Then, she growled to show her snappy side.

“It is you, Kanae – but wait! How on earth did this happen?”

“I’m not sure myself,” Beethoven replied, “One moment, Kanae and I were playing the guitar, and the next, she was suddenly turned into a dog – and obviously, the culprit was Chopin! He was the one who did this to her!”

“Um…how do you know?”

Beethoven sneered, “That idiot is the only one here who can turn people into dogs with his musik! I deal with rabbits, not puppies. He has some sort of vendetta against me still. Now, I need him out here **right now** to change her back! I don’t even know if this is a permanent issue.”

“Did you try kicking down the door – YEOWCH,” Mozart yelped. He looked down at his own ankle, and observed Kanae biting into his skin. He also shook his leg, “Get off, get off Kanae, why’re you biting me? Lud-kun must be rubbing off of you, because you’re suddenly a lot meaner than normal!”

Then, a thought came to Beethoven. He quickly clutched Kanae’s pink clip, and freed it from her forehead. Loose fur instantly covered her eyes. She barked in protest, but Beethoven assured, “I’ll give it back.”

Curious as to what Beethoven was doing with the clip, Mozart said, “What’re you doing, Lud-kun?”

Beethoven twisted the clip into a makeshift key. He wiggled it into the keyhole. “I’m picking the lock.”

“Arf! Arf!”

Beethoven retorted, “Do you want to be a dog forever or not?” It took the man a minute or two, but eventually, he was finally able to unlock the door. He pushed the door open.

The interior of the bedroom was very dark; darker than usual. Immediately, Beethoven had noticed that Chopin’s computer screen was not lit up; it was unplugged. Empty plates were scattered in various places in the room, and some of Chopin’s valuables were missing. The three journeyed further into the bedroom, and checked the closet, but Chopin was still absent. Maybe he was somewhere else in the house? Then, Beethoven discovered a yellow note attached to the television behind Chopin’s computer. He ripped it off black screen, and opened it.

Mozart appeared behind Beethoven’s shoulder. He said into his friend’s ear, “Oh, he left a note. What does it say, Lud-kun?”

Kanae sat nice. She was wagging her tail.

Beethoven said, “It says, I’m away, don’t come looking for me…”

Mozart said, dumbfounded, “Huh?”

“That bastard,” exclaimed Beethoven. Without thinking, he ripped the note in half, dropped the pieces, and said with immense fury, “You coward!” –

Then, another thought hit him. Beethoven looked down at Kanae; she looked hopeful. With sad eyes, Beethoven said, “Oh no, he’s gone. He left. Now, Kanae’s going to be a dog forever. What should I do?” Beethoven quickly grabbed Mozart’s shirt, and lifted the pink man a couple of inches off the ground. His hands were shaking. He said, with dread washing over him, “What should I do, Wolf?!”

Mozart replied, slightly dizzy from Beethoven’s shaking, “I don’t know Lud-kun. Please let me go!”

Doing as ordered, Beethoven dropped Mozart. He staggered backwards. His forehead was also beginning to accumulate moisture. Was it getting hotter in here? “Good god, Kanae’s going to be a dog forever…shit…” Overwhelmed with anxiety and the reality of the dire situation, Beethoven’s eyes rolled to the back of his head; he fainted and fell sideways.

_Chapter 21 is next..._


	21. Arf! Arf!: Part 3

In the kitchen, Beethoven was sitting on a wooden stool, holding an icepack against the side of his head.  The poor man was still recovering from a concussion he received almost a week ago, so fainting probably worsened things.

With an icy gaze, Beethoven was burning a hole in the granite countertop, figuring out how on earth he was going to turn Kanae back into a human since Chopin was temporarily out of the picture. Earlier, Mozart asked Liszt if Chopin gave her any indication where he might have gone to, but her response was no more than a shake of the head. Mozart then asked the woman why Chopin turned Kanae into a dog? Why her? What was his gain? Liszt then confirmed Mozart and Beethoven’s hunch regarding Chopin’s possible motive. For some strange reason, Chopin still had some beef with Beethoven, and thought that it would be funny to ruin Beethoven’s moment of pure joy with Kanae, but unfortunately, Chopin underestimated Beethoven’s anger, and upon realizing what he’d done, he fled before he would be torn to pieces.

Concerned at how quiet Beethoven was, Kanae jumped onto the countertop, and rubbed her snout against the side of his arm. She whined, and eventually caught Beethoven’s attention. He lowered the icepack, and proceeded to pet her head. He assured her with a small smile, “Everything will be alright, Kanae. We’ll get you back to normal.”

With a hot cup of tea in hand, Liszt said to Beethoven, “Maybe my little kitten’s transformation is temporary. You could be blowing this out of proportion.”

Mozart addressed loudly, “He very well could, but still, we have to figure something out. Eventually, Kanae will get hungry, and I don’t think she would appreciate us feeding her dog food.”

Beethoven said as he continued to pet Kanae, “Yes, that would be humiliating, and she would probably rip us a new one afterwards.” He then sighed. He stopped petting Kanae and moved the icepack to a different location on his head. He continued, “Maybe you’re right about this, Liszt. I’m probably overreacting. I’ll find her something to eat, and keep her with me throughout the night. Like you said, it’s probably a temporary thing; she may change back later.”

Liszt nodded. “That would be wise; though it still gives you an opportunity to kill Chopin when he attempts to sneak back into the house unnoticed.”

“You damn well know I will kill that man!”

Beethoven then noticed a furball out of the corner of his eye. He looked over, and saw that it was his cat, Treble, on the other side of the kitchen, eyeing up Kanae as if she were dinner, or maybe an enemy. Kanae immediately saw the cat, and followed her fight or flight instincts, and fled the premises. Beethoven yelled after her. Before he could get up from his chair, Treble bolted after Kanae, growling, hissing and with her claws out.

Beethoven shouted again, “Treble, stop! Get away from her this instant!” Then, he realized that he was talking to a deaf cat; man, he looked like an idiot. Beethoven then hopped out of his chair, and ran towards the commotion between the two animals.

* * *

 

Night was upon them. In Beethoven’s quiet room, he was sitting where he usually slept, petting Kanae with a gentleness he never thought himself capable of. Treble – the cat – was sleeping soundly on the windowsill; the moonbeams giving her coat a blueish tinge. Earlier, Beethoven had managed to end the conflict that rose between the two animals, and they learned to tolerate each other as the evening went on.

Beethoven gawked down at Kanae; she was curled up against his thigh, and was also asleep. About an hour ago, he cooked and fed her some bacon, for he refused to give her any dog food. He also knew that Kanae was under stress, so he continued to pet her to ease her own mind as well as his. Beethoven prayed that this mess was temporary, instead of waiting for Chopin, and making things worse by strangling him at first sight.

Beethoven stopped petting Kanae, and reached towards a dresser that held a large red book in one of its drawers. It was Kanae’s photo album that he kept, and promised that they would go through it together at a later time, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a quick peek, for maybe it would ease his own duress.

Turning to a random page in the album, Beethoven discovered a picture of Kanae – eight years old – on a bicycle, with her father holding the end and laughing. Beethoven peered at the description under the picture. It read: _Kanae riding for the first time._ In the picture, Kanae looked like she hated every minute of her lesson, but nonetheless, it was probably considered a good memory.

After looking at several more recollections, Beethoven felt his chest tighten. He wished he had good memories. Beatings, sadness and death was all that he knew in his past life; happiness was hard to come by; however, just because he endured harsher pain, didn’t mean that Kanae was in her own hell. By looking at these endless pictures, you would think that Kanae and her parents had a stable relationship. They looked happy; but, despite what Beethoven thought about Kanae’s father as a person, didn’t mean that he was right about him caring for his daughter. Kanae was right. When Beethoven sat and actually thought about her situation, he agreed that her father was no more than a deadbeat; and her mother was no better. Debt was thrown onto her lap, placed under her name, and she was always alone and independent; it must have been stressful. There would be no doubt that this stress would eventually catch up with her and make her very sick. Maybe he could get her to focus on something else for a while before she would snap in two.

As the night continued, Beethoven was beginning to lose consciousness. Before he blacked out completely, Beethoven closed the photo album and placed it back into the drawer.  –

Pink smoke appeared. _POOF!_

Huh, so it was temporary.

When the smoke cleared, a fully clothed and _human_ Kanae was apparent. Her head was resting against Beethoven’s leg, and the butterflies in his stomach resurfaced. He didn’t know what to do. Should he wake up Kanae and take her to her own bed, or should he leave her be for the remainder of the night? As uncomfortable as she looked, Beethoven chose the latter. He closed his eyes and let sleep overcome him, because everything was going to be all right now. He would take care of her.

_Chapter 22 is next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is when the feels begin, so beware. :)


	22. Brace for Impact

Beethoven, Kanae, and Sousuke were at the city’s port. Beethoven was teaching both Kanae and Sousuke how to fish. They were an hour into their lesson, and Sousuke was having very little difficulties; in fact, he got the hang of it almost forty-five minutes ago. It was Kanae who was struggling with her line.

Much like helping her play the guitar, Beethoven demonstrated basic technique by grabbing Kanae’s hands, and forcing them in the appropriate places on the rod. He told her how to properly hold the rod, the amount of force necessary to grip the rod without becoming stiff, and how to toss the line into the water without poking somebody’s eye out. He also hoped to teach her patience and how to wait in the process, but he was probably asking too much.

After what seemed like endless struggling, Kanae’s line was finally in the water. Everyone waited. After minutes of silence, Sousuke spoke up:

“Beethes-san, I have a question.”

Beethoven did not hear his name being called. Upon noticing his lack of acknowledgement, Kanae tapped her boyfriend on the shoulder.

“Hmm? What is it?” said Beethoven, directed towards Kanae.

Kanae said, “No, not me. Sousuke was calling you.”

Beethoven then focused on Sousuke. He said, a little embarrassed, “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Sousuke gave a reassuring smile to give Beethoven the indication that his hearing was nothing to be ashamed of; it was now a part of who he was…again. He said, “Beethes-san, I’m surprised that you invited us out here. Isn’t fishing something that you usually do on your own?”

Beethoven smirked, “Well, the girl mentioned that she really wanted to learn, so I found this beautiful day the perfect opportunity to accomplish such a feat.”

Kanae murmured, “Let’s not get you started,” she then said, “Actually I wanted to cook bass for supper tonight, and I’m cheap; bass is rather expensive at the store.”

Beethoven sniffled, “Why must you ruin such a romantic thought?”

Kanae chuckled, “Romantic? I thought we already discovered that the word ‘romantic’ isn’t in your vocabulary? Besides, I actually find this quite relaxing. I’m away from the mansion’s chaos – although some of the chaos kind of followed me here.”

Beethoven’s heart pounded after mentioning that she liked fishing. In truth, the activity wasn’t exciting. It brought out a sense of one’s calmness, and could give you an opportunity to be alone with your thoughts; however, having company too wasn’t so bad, as long as they didn’t talk your ear off. Before they started dating, Kanae accepted Beethoven’s offer to fish with him one day, and now, that promise became a reality. Beethoven knew why she was actually here; Kanae just didn’t want to give Sousuke every detail of their relationship so far. She didn’t even tell Sousuke that they had kissed the other day. Speaking of Sousuke, she didn’t even remember why he came along with them in the first place. Did Beethoven invite him?

“Sousuke,” Kanae said, “Did you invite yourself to come with us?”

“Wha-no!”

Beethoven spoke up, “Actually yes. He followed, and begged me to teach him, so I caved in. This was supposed to be a date, was it not?”

Kanae smiled, “Yeah, now it’s just a hunt for dinner tonight. You’re using actual bait this time, so we shouldn’t have a problem catching any fish.”

“I just realized something,” said Sousuke, “Beethes-san is teaching us how to fish and yet he has never caught anything. Isn’t that a little – I don’t know – ironic?”

Without hesitation, Beethoven gave Sousuke an awful glare. He hissed, “I’m sorry, what was that? You better be happy that I’m deaf.”

Kanae sighed. “You have too much pride.”

Sousuke turned away, focusing on his task at hand.

Great, this gave Kanae the perfect opportunity to talk to Beethoven in a somewhat private setting. “Thank you,” she said as she pressed her shoulder against his.

The older man raised a brow, “For what, exactly?”

Kanae smiled, “For taking care of me yesterday, silly. Yeah, so what, I was a dog for a brief time, but to be honest, I was very scared. Just like you, I hoped that it wasn’t permanent. Chopin still hasn’t come back yet, has he?”

Beethoven shook his head. “Nope, and I don’t want him to.”

“Well, unlike you, he actually pays rent.”

“He ruined my time with you, and toyed with your body for amusement. Also, I’m sorry about my cat. Like me, Treble can be an asshole sometimes.”

Kanae said, “Your cat is a cat, and we got along in the end. Let’s be real Beethes, I was beyond scared, but you stayed by my side and practically stayed up for the majority of the night to make sure that I was calm, collected and comfortable. You refused to feed me dogfood, and you protected me from your cat, because I had no animal instinct experience. You took care of me well.”

Beethoven blushed. He wasn’t used to big compliments like this. “Uh – y – your welcome.” He then mustered up the courage to say, “Kanae, even if you weren’t my girlfriend, I would have still helped you in that situation. You take care of us so well that I think it’s about time that I started returning the favour.” He then added, “It’s been a very long time since I’ve fallen in love with somebody. I’m always afraid of getting hurt…again…” he trailed off.

Then, Beethoven went red. Did that really just come out of his mouth? Beethoven covered his face with his red scarf and said, “Oh good god, I’m a hopeless train wreck. I’m reverting back into my past self.”

Kanae said with a sleek smile, “Well – anyways – before this whole _dog_ issue, I assumed that by the way you were acting the other day, that you think this relationship is worth investing your time into? I meant us kissing of course.”

Beethoven nodded. “Yes, it’s not like I can back out after what happened in my room. After all, I’m the one who turned the accidental kiss into a real, genuine one.” Beethoven played with the line of his own fishing rod. “What about you? I mean, you did kiss me back, so it has to mean something, right?”

“Yeah,” Kanae said while resting her head on Beethoven’s shoulder, “I want to continue our relationship. After all, I felt like I was kissing a man, not my brother – figuratively speaking.”

On the side, Sousuke was quietly watching their conversation unfold. Truth be told, Sousuke was happy for Kanae, that she finally found someone who made her genuinely happy. Beethoven made her smile, and that’s what mattered in the end. –

Suddenly, Sousuke’s rod stiffened. “I got a bite! I got a bite!

Kanae and Beethoven both turned around, and noticed Sousuke reeling his line in. After about a minute of playing tug-of-war, Sousuke managed to pull – what he caught – out of the water. He said, while displaying what he caught to his friends, “Looks guys! Look what I caught! Isn’t it awesome?!”

Both Beethoven and Kanae gave Sousuke unamused glares. Kanae said, “You caught a boot, you idiot.”

Sousuke took a second glance. He shouted as soon as he laid his eyes on the object, “Oh dear god, I did!” He then quickly took the boot off the rod and chucked it back into the water. He whistled, “Let’s just forget that even happened.”

Then, Kanae’s line tightened, almost causing her to fall forwards into the water. “I got a bite,” she exclaimed.

“Great,” Beethoven said, “Now reel it in. Do you need help?”

“No, I got this! That fish is mine!”

* * *

 

Hand in hand, Beethoven and Kanae walked along a concrete path home with Sousuke trailing far behind. Out of the three of them, Sousuke was the pack mule carrying rods, leftover bait in blue buckets, and a large cooler with the many fish they caught inside.

Kanae looked over her shoulder and saw Sousuke struggling. He said that he was doing just fine. Kanae said too, “Let’s go, Sousuke. We don’t have all day. I need to make supper soon.”

“O-okay,” Sousuke said with his legs shaking.

Feeling pity for the young man, Beethoven stopped, turned around and lightened Sousuke’s load by grabbing the fishing rods and bucket of bait. He gave the gross bucket of bait to Kanae. Beethoven said as they began walking again, “If you need help, just ask for it, okay?”

Apparent as always, the house did not treat Sousuke very well: He had no presence, was deemed untalented inside and out, Kanae was always on his case, Chopin disregarded him, and Liszt nicknamed him ‘tool.’ (There was one other person, but I can’t remember ‘who’ right now.) Despite that, the only ones who actually gave Sousuke the time of day was Mozart and Beethoven. Beethoven had to admit himself that he could be quite mean to the boy, but wondered too why he gave the boy any attention at all. Kanae wondered this too; after all, it was only a couple of years ago when Sousuke – who was upset – did not return to the mansion, and Beethoven was the only one who took the onus to actually start looking for him. Upon further reflection, Beethoven envisioned many times that Sousuke reminded him of someone from his past life. A young man whom he fought for, obsessed over, tried turning him into something he didn’t want to be, and apparently led him into committing suicide. Was it possible that Beethoven was guilt ridden, and acknowledged Sousuke, because the boy was an opportunity for a second chance? The ClassicaLoids had all been given second chances, so why not take advantage of it?

Sousuke breathed a sigh of relief, “Thank you, Beethes-san.”

“Whatever,” was Beethoven’s response.

They started walking up a hill. Due to his incredibly long legs, Beethoven was the first to reach the top with no problem. He then noticed below that Kanae and Sousuke were halfway up the hill, struggling. As expected, Beethoven did the honors by helping his girlfriend only.

“Hey!” Sousuke said, “What about me? You’re just leaving me in the dust like this?”

“Nope,” Beethoven replied, “We’re waiting for you.”

As Kanae and Beethoven waited for Sousuke to climb the hill, Kanae turned to Beethoven and said, “I had fun today. I should join you for fishing more often. I think I finally found an activity that I can tolerate.”

Beethoven answered, “I think it’s because you are fond of water.”

“Oh,” Kanae blushed, “I guess you’re right.” Then, she remembered, “Beethes, did Tchaiko-chan text you during our time away today? I looked at my phone earlier, and she didn’t text me, and I don’t remember what she wanted me to pick up from the store. She told you right before we left the house, but by the way you’re looking at me right now, your one-track mind forgot, didn’t it?”

“Nonsense,” Beethoven waved, “I wrote it down. Let me get the paper.”

Using his free hand, Beethoven reached behind him, and slipped his hand into the back pocket of his blue jeans. As he pulled out the thin slip of paper, a petite, round, copper colored object fell out of his pocket. It bounced on the pavement a few times before rolling passed their feet.

Both Beethoven and Kanae caught a good look of the object as it started making its way down the hill.

“My penny,” shouted Beethoven.

Kanae exclaimed, “WHAT?! It was in your back pocket this entire time?!”

Over the excitement of finding his lost penny, Beethoven dropped the fishing rods, and followed the penny down the hill. Kanae yelled after him, but of course, he couldn’t hear her.

Kanae gently placed the bucket of bait aside before chasing Beethoven. She said, “Beethes, wait up!” It was unfortunate that Kanae’s legs were not long enough to fully catch up to Beethoven. “Be careful!”

Beethoven flew past Sousuke. The boy said, “Beethes-san! Why’re you running?” Then he saw the object his friend was chasing after, “Oh my god, is that your lost penny? Where did you find it?”

Kanae quickly stated as she ran past Sousuke, “Not now, Sousuke. Beethes, wait up!”

Sousuke then ditched his load and ran with Kanae. _He wondered why she sounded so frantic._

As they all hurried down the hill, Kanae took a quick look into the distance. The penny – that was at least ten feet in front of Beethoven – was journeying much too close to a small intersection. She also noticed an oncoming car. Kanae’s heart sunk immediately, and she yelled hysterically, hoping that Beethoven would hear something, “Beethes, just let it go! We’ll get it later! Please, let it go!”

As expected, Beethoven did not hear her. The penny then rolled into a lane on the street, and stopped. Without thinking, Beethoven went onto the street to recover his lost item. He laughed as he picked it up and gave the object a thorough examination.

Kanae continued to shout, and it wasn’t until they reached the bottom of the hill that Sousuke understood why. They’d just witnessed Beethoven running onto the street without looking, and now they were constantly shouting his name to get him off the street, and away from the oncoming traffic.

Meanwhile, the driver of car – slightly over the speed limit – was very surprised when a body jumped out from the trees and onto the road in front of him. Everything happened so fast. The driver honked the horn several times, but due to Beethoven’s hearing problem, he failed to hear that either. The driver continued to lay on the horn, as he slammed his foot on the brake, but Beethoven did not move.

Kanae’s worst fear was starting to come true. She was about to watch her deaf boyfriend get run over. Beethoven shifted his body, and saw Kanae and Sousuke coming towards the sidewalk. He said with elation, “I found it! I found it! It’s the penny!”

Kanae shrieked in return, “Ludwig, get off the street, NOW!”

He couldn’t hear her. “What?”

**“GET OFF THE STREET NOW!”**

He heard her that time. Upon realizing where he was standing, and what Kanae had just said, Beethoven suddenly heard the faint noise of a car horn; the sound was getting louder. He then quickly turned his head to the source of the noise and saw a car coming straight for him. The man went rigid, his eyes were as wide as saucers, and he stared at the vehicle as if he were a deer caught in the headlights.

He heard Kanae’s voice one last time, **“NO!”**

And then braced for impact.

_Chapter 23 is next…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger, haha! What'll happen next?


	23. Survivor's Guilt

Beethoven hit the asphalt. Soon after, a large _BANG_ was heard.

Then, everything went quiet. Did the car hit him; could he not hear anything, because of his hearing loss; or was he dead?

Beethoven wiggled his toes, and then his legs; they were still functional. He then moved his arms which were also in good shape. This was odd. Maybe he really was dead, or in such shock that he couldn’t feel any pain. Then, the left side of his body hurt like hell. He figured the catalyst of the pain was from hitting the roadside. 

Beethoven opened his eyes. Everything was sideways. He lifted his head and soaked in his surroundings. He was in one piece, and bore some scrapes, but before long, he noticed that something was not right. He was on the other side of the road, and he was alright; this meant that he hadn’t gotten hit.

Due to Beethoven’s hearing, people’s voices – ten feet beside him – were faint, but only one stood out from the rest. It was Kanae’s sweet voice, but she sounded very distraught. That was weird. Shouldn’t she be happy that he was alright? It wasn’t until he heard what had come out of her mouth that he finally realized what had actually happened.”

**“SOUSUKE!”**

Beethoven immediately put himself in a sitting position in the middle of the road just to watch a terrifying scene. A bloody body was crumpled on the ground in front of the car, and as feared it was Sousuke; he had been hit instead. He had pushed Beethoven out of the way at the very last second.

Kanae continued to yell amongst the gathering crowd, as she tended to her childhood friend, “Someone call for help! Why’re you all just standing there? Someone help me with the bleeding! Someone check if the driver is alright too!”

Beethoven shifted his head towards the driver of the vehicle. The driver’s head was leaning against the steering wheel, giving Beethoven the indication that he was rendered unconscious. Shards of glass from the windshield were resting on his head; now there were two people down.

Others had come to the rescue and introduced themselves as first aid before the paramedics arrived, and now Kanae was on the phone with a 911 operator. She was crying as she described the horrible scene. First aid searched for a pulse, and luckily, there was one, so CPR was not necessary.

This was awful. Beethoven was alright, because of that young man. The least Beethoven could have done was get up and help, but the shock overwhelmed him and seemed to have frozen time. All he could do was just stare at the very thing that could have been prevented. Beethoven whispered, “N-no...m-my fault…”

Kanae screamed again, **“SOUSUKE!”**

* * *

 

Beethoven and Mozart were stuck in a waiting room at the general hospital. Beethoven’s legs and arms were both crossed, and Mozart was sitting in his own chair in a somewhat uncomfortable position. Beethoven was quickly counting the dots on the floor tiles just to get his mind off of Sousuke, but unfortunately, his thoughts eventually redirected themselves, and struck an ache through his heart.

Mozart was worried about his friend. Beethoven was quite predictable in his thoughts sometimes. Earlier, Kanae had called Mozart, and quickly explained the situation, and told him to come to the hospital not just for Sousuke’s sake, but for Beethoven’s too as emotional support. The two close friends had promised to one another that they wouldn’t tackle their problems by themselves, and Mozart was there to make sure that they followed through.

Survivor’s guilt was eating away at Beethoven. He constantly blamed himself for what happened, but was angry at Sousuke too. The boy didn’t have to be the hero; he should have let Beethoven get hit. It was only fitting for a man who didn’t look both ways before crossing the street; yet again, there was a possibility that Beethoven would have survived, but knowing him, fate would probably deny that request.

Beethoven went rigid. He clenched his fists so tight that his knuckles were turning white. He was trying his best to control his overbearing emotions.

After seeing this, Mozart said, “Really Lud-kun, it’s not your fault.”

Beethoven failed to acknowledge Mozart. The pink man then leaned forwards and managed to tap Beethoven on the knee. Beethoven quickly snapped out of his trance and said, “M-sorry, did you say something? I didn’t hear you.” Beethoven frowned after saying those words; after all, that’s what got everyone into this predicament.

Kanae didn’t give him much detail, but from what Mozart could gather, Beethoven had time to avoid the car that he stepped in front of, but due to his major hearing loss, and one-track mind, he could neither see nor hear the car until it was too late. Police had told Kanae that the driver had been speeding, was inexperienced on the road, thus by the time he hit the brake, impact was imminent. No matter how you sliced the situation, nothing would have gone their way, but in the end, Sousuke was the one who risked his life to save Beethoven, and was now on death’s doorstep.

Mozart said again, “Lud-kun, I know what you’re thinking. What happened to Sousuke isn’t your fault.”

Beethoven said, “I shouldn’t have run out onto the street like that. I should have let the penny go, and get run over. Who needs it anyway? I didn’t think, I…I couldn’t hear the car, I didn’t hear it and…” he trailed off.

“Lud-kun, are you alright?”

Beethoven pursed his lips. “My stupid ears. They’re putting you all in peril. I knew this day would come. It was going to happen eventually. Why didn’t I take better care?” He gnashed his teeth, “Now someone is hurt because of my stupid ears.”

Mozart’s heart broke. He said, “Lud-kun, it was Sousuke’s decision to save your life. He did not force you. He didn’t have to. He could have let you get run over.”

“You don’t think I know that?!”

“You can’t fault yourself for his decision!”

Having enough, Beethoven hopped to his feet, stuffed his hands into the pockets of his blue jeans, and started leaving the room.

Mozart called, “Lud-kun, where are you going? Don’t you remember our deal? You can’t go through these kinds of things on your own. I’m your shoulder to cry on.”

Beethoven stopped. He turned to Mozart and said, “I don’t need to cry on anyone’s shoulder! Who said anything about crying? It’s weak!” Then, Beethoven’s expression softened. He continued, “I-I’m sorry, Wolf. Yes, I remember our deal. I-I promise that I will come back, I just need to go for a quick walk.”

“Where to?”

“I don’t know.” Beethoven then left.

Mozart murmured under his breath, “Stubborn bastard.”

* * *

 

Sousuke’s condition was unknown to Beethoven. He knew that Kanae, Sousuke’s mother, and little sister were with him, and from what he could see, there was no sign of them leaving the boy’s side any time soon. Sousuke could be stable, critical, or already deceased; it was hard to tell. He asked some nurses in the area about Sousuke, but they couldn’t give him any details, and the doctors weren’t around to give him any answers either. This sucked. Not knowing seemed to make things exceptionally worse.

Beethoven desperately needed to punch a wall, but quickly decided against it as it would draw too much attention, and make him seem selfish. He didn’t want that; he just wanted to know if Sousuke was going to pull through. He needed to get out. He needed to get out of here.

* * *

 

Beethoven didn’t know how long he’d been gone, but he guessed around twenty minutes to half an hour. Currently, he was just outside the hospital’s gift shop, looking at some magazines. Maybe he could buy a couple and take them back to the waiting room as another distraction. –

Suddenly, a hand grasped Beethoven’s wrist, forcing him to close the magazine. It was Kanae. Although her voice seemed relatively calm, the expression on her face was far from it. She was gasping for air, sweating at the forehead, and strands of her short hair were traveling in all sorts of directions. She said, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Unfortunately, Beethoven took her a little too literally, “I’m going to buy some magazines.”

“No, I meant what do you think you’re doing wandering around without notifying anyone of your whereabouts?”

Beethoven shook off her wrist before putting the magazine back onto the shelf. He said, “I needed to go for a quick walk. I told Wolf about it.”

“Barely,” she said, “You didn’t tell him where!”

“I had to get out of there. I needed a couple of minutes to think. I was coming back. Besides, it’s only been half an hour.” –

Kanae interjected, “A couple of minutes? A couple of minutes?! Half an hour?! You’ve been gone for over two hours! I’ve been searching everywhere for you in this enormous hospital. I was just about to leave the building too, to see if I could find you sulking on a sidewalk somewhere. I wondered if you had gone home!”

Frustrated, Beethoven said, “I needed to be alone. Now, go away!” He started walking away, but Kanae was quick to block his exit.

“Oh, no you don’t!”

Beethoven rolled his eyes. He couldn’t believe this.

“Don’t you roll your eyes at me!” Kanae said, “You are not leaving my sight! The last thing I want is for you to get hurt too.”

Beethoven begged to differ, but bit his tongue for fear of Kanae’s retaliation; instead, Beethoven said, “I’m sorry.”

This took Kanae by surprise. She said, “W-what for?”

“I’m sorry about what happened to Sousuke.”

“Beethes, Sousuke saved you. He pushed you out of the way. And it was his decision to do so. He could have done nothing. He could have watched you get run over, but he didn’t. To be honest, I’m not sure why he decided to save you, but in the end, I can’t help but be eternally grateful.”

Beethoven then asked, “Is…he okay?”

Kanae’s slightly smiled. “He’s fine, Beethes. He’s stable, and he’s going to make it. The doctor said he should be awake again soon.”

“His injuries?”

“Well, he has a broken arm, both of his legs are broken too, he has broken ribs, and a small concussion; however, the only thing that isn’t broken is his spirit. Beethes,” Kanae then lifted her hand and cupped her boyfriend’s cheek, “don’t beat yourself up about this. He’s going to be alright.”

Without warning, Kanae pulled the man forwards and embraced him. She said, “No one blames you.” –

Beethoven ripped himself out from the woman’s grasp. He said, “No, Kanae! I can’t do this!”

Kanae answered, confused, “What do you mean?”

“Kanae, my hearing is getting worse. I had plenty of time to get out of the car’s way, but I failed to hear your warnings and the car horn, and **look what happened!** Someone that I cared about got hurt! Seriously Kanae, who will it be next time? I'm no longer relevant in this picture. I'm just a burden and danger to you all. I should just leave the mansion before someone else gets hurt or winds up dead!”

“Beethes…” –

“I allowed you to fall off a roof! I couldn’t hear you, and I allowed you to fall!”

“Listen, you are not a danger nor a burden to anyone. I guess there are just some things that we’ll have to…well…work on regarding your hearing.”

“Kanae…”

Kanae tried hugging him again, and this time, he did not bother pushing her away; instead, the man buried his head into the crook of her neck. Kanae could feel his body quiver. He was doing his best to keep himself together, and Kanae couldn’t help, but wonder when he would finally open-up and let his vulnerability show. When will he stop being stubborn, and let his friends help him?

Kanae turned her face slightly to kiss Beethoven’s temple. She then said directly into his ear, as she rubbed his upper back “We’ll prepare ourselves. We will take precautions in baby steps. Things will have to start changing before you lose your hearing completely. But, starting now, we’re going to help you, and we’re going to get through this as a team...as a family. Beethes, always remember that you are not alone. There are a lot more people than me who truly care about you, and want to help you. Just let them in when the opportunity comes.”

After a minute or two of hugging in silence, Beethoven finally let go. He quickly wiped his eyes. She was surprised that he was still intact. It was obvious that the man was cracking, but was nowhere near broken yet.

Kanae then grasped Beethoven’s hand, and pulled him with her as she started down the hallway. “Come on Beethes, Sousuke has a room now, and he’s probably awake and eating.”

“Are you sure that the boy is going to be okay?”

Kanae gave Beethoven a reassuring smile. “Beethes, Sousuke needs you as much as I do. Everything is going to be fine now. Just remember to say ‘thank you’ when you see him, okay?”

“O-okay.”

_Chapter 24 is next…_


	24. Needing the Confidence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Filler chapter that concludes chapter 23.

Beethoven overwhelmed Sousuke by tossing numerous blankets on top of the young man. Two days before, Sousuke had been released from the hospital, and was forced to recover at home. The doctors and his family alike believed that he’d be more comfortable, and busy in his own home rather than in a hospital bed for the next few weeks.

With guilt still coursing through his veins, Beethoven took the initiative to not only ‘mother hen’ Sousuke, but to also carry out several chores at his own home. There, he had cooked gyoza, dusted almost every nook and cranny, and even washed the floors on his hands and knees. Beethoven was forever in debt due to Sousuke saving his ass. There was nothing he could do to fully repay the young man for his heroic deed, but at least doing a little bit of something could be of some value.

In bed, Sousuke said, “Beethes, you don’t have to do all of this.”

“No,” Beethoven said, “It is my duty; you saved me. You have broken legs, arms, a concussion, and the list goes on, so I’m not just going to sit here and just be _‘grateful’_ for what you did. This is also an apology and a get-well gift.”

Sousuke gently said, “Beethes, what are you sorry for? You didn’t do anything wrong. It was my decision to sacrifice myself for you. You didn’t put a gun to my head,” he smiled, “and besides, although I’m pretty banged up, I’m still in one piece, alright?”

Beethoven clenched his fists. He grinded his teeth and seethed, “Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you doing this to me? Why did you do it?”

Sousuke quickly explained, wanted to cool down Beethoven’s heated temper, “I did it, because you make Kanae very happy, and if you got hurt or killed…I…I don’t think she would bounce back from that. I don’t think she’d be the same person.”

Beethoven relaxed. He slightly bowed, “Thank you.”

Sousuke smiled, “Beethes, apologies and payments are not necessary; just the ‘thank you’ is enough.”

Beethoven rolled his eyes. He hated this; being in eternal debt was terrible already. “Whatever.”

Suddenly, a voice entered the conversation. “Oh, Kanae’s boyfriend is such a nice man.”

It was Sousuke’s mother. She was standing in the doorway. She then approached the men. “He did all of the chores around the house, did a little bit of yard work and cooked some gyoza for supper,” she shifted her gaze onto Beethoven only, “You make gyoza very well. I must admit, better than me.”

Beethoven responded, “Of course! Making gyoza is an art form. It takes great concentration, and the upmost fiery passion.” –

Sousuke intervened before Beethoven could go on a tangent, “Yes, Kanae’s boyfriend also makes good food. He’s a keeper.”

Sousuke’s mother said, “What’s your name again?”

Beethoven answered, “Ludwig.”

She raised a brow. “Ludwig, huh? Yeah, you look German.”

“Excuse me?”

“That’s interesting. The last time I heard of anybody with that name was Ludwig van Beethoven. You must get that a lot whenever you introduce yourself.”

Beethoven started, “But I am…” then he stopped himself, for this simple conversation could quickly turn into a difficult situation with one truthful confession, “…Yes, ma’am, I do get that a lot.”

* * *

 

Later that same day, Beethoven was sitting on Otowa mansion’s living room couch, staring at the nearest wall. He was unaware of how long he’d been lost in the abyss, but Kanae figured that it was approximately an hour of wasted daylight.

Kanae didn’t get it. Ever since Beethoven came back from Sousuke’s place, he’d gone quiet. The distracted thoughts were overwhelming him. He also looked depressed.

Kanae approached Beethoven with her hands firmly placed on her hips. She said with a small smile, hoping that he’d warm up to her, “What’s wrong, Ludwig?”

Beethoven focused on the beautiful woman in front of him. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

Kanae said, “C’mon Beethes, something is eating away at you. I need to get inside your head. What are you feeling? You’ve been acting weird ever since you got back from Sousuke’s house. An alien hasn’t possessed your mind and body again, has it?”

Beethoven shook his head. “No, I’m just…I’m losing my confidence.”

“Confidence?”

“After what happened to the boy, I’ve lost confidence in myself dramatically.”

It took a few seconds, but Kanae finally understood what her boyfriend meant. His self esteem was at an all time low due to his hearing loss. He needed that confidence back in order for him to feel less guilty about the current situation and take control of his life again.

Kanae then walked away from the scene, and soon entered the kitchen. An idea suddenly came into mind. Without haste, Kanae flipped through the phone book, picked up her landline, and dialed a number.

_Chapter 25 is next…_


	25. Surprises: PART 1

Kanae, Beethoven and Mozart found themselves inside a small room located east in the city. Earlier, Kanae ordered Beethoven to come for a quick walk after he started throwing things off the piano due to frustration either from a lack of inspiration for his repertoire or his lack of hearing. Kanae assumed that it was the latter for he admitted once that he had a hard time hearing the notes from the keyboard. After his brief spasm, Kanae confirmed Beethoven’s statement when he said that his confidence and self esteem was dwindling away.

So, Kanae told Mozart to accompany her and Beethoven on their walk. Beethoven solemnly followed his friends down the many streets, crescents and drives, until they finally arrived in the exact room that they were currently in. Beethoven had suspicions, but weren’t quite sure what they were exactly. Kanae wouldn’t tell him why they were there no matter how hard he prodded. The room they were situated in bore grey walls, and several doors that said ‘testing’. Many different plants and pictures hung on walls were also in the surrounding area for decorative purposes.

While waiting for something to happen, Mozart was busy playing with his shoes and hair; Beethoven was bent over with his hands clasped, looking at Kanae every now and then; and Kanae was occupied with a magazine. Then, a door opened, and a woman dressed in a blouse with black pants with a pure white lab coat overtop came out. With a clip board in hand, she said, “Ludwig?”

Beethoven did not hear the woman, so Kanae nudged him in the side. Beethoven gave his girlfriend the attention. Kanae said, “Hey, she called your name.”

Beethoven looked at the woman, then back to Kanae. He squinted, “What is this?” He then looked back at the other woman, and waited for a response from either party.

The stranger said, “I’m Dr. Fujito. I’m an Otologist, and I’ll be performing your hearing test today just to see where we are at regarding the stage of your hearing loss.” She held out her hand, but Beethoven refused to shake.

“Hearing test?”

“Yes,” the doctor said, “We’re undergoing a test before we can fit you for hearing aids, or to see if you’re qualified for surgery to save whatever hearing you have left. According to your friend, your hearing loss is mild, so there may be some hope.”

“Hearing aids?” Beethoven clenched his fists. He faced both Kanae and Mozart and said, “So, this is what you were refusing to tell me?  I thought you guys enforced the rule that there were to be no more secrets!” –

Kanae interjected before things had potential to get out of hand, “Beethes, relax. This wasn’t meant to be a secret. We just wanted to surprise you.”

Beethoven shouted, “You’re fitting me for hearing aids! Kanae, I cannot afford this. We should have talked about this first.”

Kanae responded, “I’m paying for them.”

“Kanae, you can’t afford this either!”

“Motes offered to pitch in some money too.”

Mozart piped up, “Yep! That’s right!”

“You are both mad! I mean, it is truly a nice gesture, but why do you insist on wasting your money on something that will be redundant in a year’s time?”

Mozart said, “Lud-kun, it’s obvious that you haven’t been yourself lately. You’ve admitted to both of us that you’re losing confidence in yourself, and you weren’t kidding. We’re just trying to give you a leg up.”

“Why?”

Kanae said, “Because we love you. We care about you. You’re our friend. All three of us have been through thick and thin together, and we want you to be happy.”

Mozart added, “Sousuke is okay, Lud-kun. I think it’s time to get you back on your path towards destiny.”

Beethoven gave Mozart a blank stare. Something didn’t seem right. Then, a thought came to mind, “Wait, Kanae said that you’re pitching in too! You have a job?!”

“Yep,” Mozart saluted, “I work for the conservatory too; at the same place that you are employed.”

“Doing what?”

“I’m a piano accompanist for violinists and singers. The conservatory was desperate for another accompanist since the others are getting older and will probably retire soon.”

Beethoven grumbled, “Whatever, but I still don’t approve of this gesture. You’re wasting your money, fools.”

The doctor in waiting said as she tapped her foot impatiently, “Hurry it up sir. Let’s get the test done. I have other patients too, you know?”

_Chapter 26 is next..._


End file.
